


Salvation [NieR: Automata]

by Alesiduex



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 10:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11553519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alesiduex/pseuds/Alesiduex
Summary: [Reader insert] Mankind had been extinct for centuries, leaving behind a desolate planet ridden with dangerous machines and their android successors. That is until you awoke. Burdened with the heavy weight of being the last of mankind and the last push toward reviving a dead race, you accompanied by two androids set off to find the answers to why humans went extinct and how to end the machine's reign over Earth.





	1. Chapter 1

You woke up alone. All you could think as you forced open the door to your cold enclosure was about how ‘something went wrong’. Muffled alarms blared in your ears as you fell onto the floor. You felt weak, cold, tired and confused. 

 

"Warning: Cryogenic sequence interrupted. Please evacuate all patients until further notice”

 

‘Something went wrong.’ The thought repeated as if it were an urgent reminder. You couldn’t think of anything else. The world around you spun as you attempted to lift yourself off of the floor only to collapse back down. It was no use. Your limbs were numb.

 

""Warning: Cryogenic sequence interrupted. Please evacuate all patients until further notice”

 

‘Something went wrong.’ Frost melted off your redden fingers as they reached to grasp onto something. You needed to get up. You needed to get out. You didn’t know why. Your thoughts were scrambled, your eyes couldn’t focus on any of your surroundings. 

 

‘Who am I?’

 

Sitting on your knees, you cradled your aching head in your hands as if that were to help you regain your train of thought. ‘Who am I?’ you couldn’t remember your name. You didn’t even know what day it was. 

 

Looking over your shoulder at the large chamber you had emerged from, you shivered at the cold air that had seeped out from the opening you left. Your bare shoulders were left defenseless against the vicious nip of the cold air, your hair and eyelashes dripping with tiny droplets of melted frost. You were in a dress. A white dress that reached your knees. There wasn’t much to it other than the occasional red that lined the neckline and the end of the skirt. How you ended up in a dress was beyond you.

 

“Warning: Cryogenic sequence interrupted. Please evacuate all patients until further notice.”

 

Your gaze traveled up toward the ceiling where the voice emitted. ‘…Cryogenic?’ That’s right. You were cryogenically frozen, you just couldn’t remember for how long. Days? Weeks? Months? Years? You couldn’t recall right now, but things were starting to get clearer now that you’ve calm down.

 

‘What’s my name?’ Y/n. Your name’s Y/n. You and your family were included in a project built to extend mankind’s efforts to survive back in the year 2017. Because of your father’s involvement with the government, the officials involved in this project helped secure him and his family a place where they can outlive the ‘White Chlorination Syndrome’. Your family’s survival of the cryogenic process was not guaranteed, yet your father took the risk if it meant that his family could survive.

 

“Warning: Cryogenic sequence interrupted. Please evacuate all patients until further notice.”

 

How many years have passed since that day you and your family were put into a deep sleep? From the looks of the lab you were in, you’d have to say more than you initially thought. The once clean lab had now looked as if nature had reclaimed back what was hers. Vines draped from gaping holes in the ceiling, grime and rust covered the walls. The tiled flooring had been covered with dirt and broken glass. You were surprised that the chamber you slept away in had not been disturbed. It was almost odd how quiet the lab was, only the automated voice and the quite humming of running energy seemed to fill in the void. 

 

 

Now that you were able to think straight, you rose up to your feet attempting to balance yourself so that you wouldn’t end up back on the floor. You had to look for your mother and father, they had to have been awake if you were. Carefully, you maneuvered yourself around the room in order to avoid the broken glass that would prove to be dangerous against your bare feet. 

 

You remembered the layout of the lab when the scientists had given you and your family a tour right before they had put the three of you to sleep. From as much as you can remember, there weren’t any other participants. You figured they felt the risk of death was far too great for them to ignore, after all, cryogenic stasis was newly developed and hadn’t been perfected yet. There were tons of risks with participating in an experiment like the one you took part in. Obviously, you overcame the biggest risk of all; death. 

 

The halls of the lab echoed with the patting of your feet. It worried you how silent it was. If your parents were awake, wouldn’t they have been already looking for you? ‘Unless they’re…’ You shook your head. You won’t think things like that. Not until you see for yourself. You almost wished there were windows for you to look out from, to distract you from the troubling thoughts of your parents. The lab was located underground which meant you wouldn’t be able to see outside until you get your parents and lead them to the elevator which would take you up toward the surface and underneath an amusement park. From there, you knew where to go to get back home; if it still existed.

 

The lights that lined the hallway flickered as you grew closer toward your parent’s room, your heart picked up its pace and clenched at the thought of their demise. The automated door slid open as you approached, revealing to you the large chambers containing the bodies of your parents. 

 

“Warning: Cryogenic sequence unable to resume. Leakage detected within chamber. Evacuation advised.”

 

The glass surrounding the chamber which was supposed to help protect your parents was broken. Cold air rushed out from the various cracks left within the intact glass. ‘Why?’ Your father had suffocated, unable to escape his glass prison, his frozen face twisted in panic. ‘Why?’ You mother shared a similar fate, you could even see the frozen crystal tears stuck to her face. They must have woken up too early and had panicked. You could see the multitude of handprints where they had beat against the glass in hopes of escape.

 

“Warning: Cryogenic sequence unable to resume. Leakage detected within chamber. Evacuation advised.”

 

The air which seeped from their chambers made you cough. This wasn’t what you wanted when you agreed to put yourself through this. You didn’t want to wake up to a future without your parents. 

 

“Why am I the one left alone?!”

 

Tears streamed from your eyes as you slumped down to the floor in front of their chambers. The air which attacked you earlier didn’t seem all that bad now. You didn’t care anymore. Your body racked with sobs as you thought about how much pain they had to have been in before their deaths. You heard from someone once that suffocation was one of the worst ways to go. Why God had chosen you to live on was beyond your thinking, was that his plan all along? To kill your parents and leave you alone? Your teeth gritted at the thought. For now, you only hoped that your parents were at peace.

 

Sitting up, you wiped your tears with the back of your hand. Your mother wouldn’t have wanted you to sit here and cry. You didn’t know what the surface was like now that time has passed and it wasn’t doing you any good by staying here and breathing in all of these chemicals. Getting up, you made your way closer toward their chambers and pushed a large red button you were sure could open the doors. The glass door lifted open, prompting you to step back a little. Your father’s head limply slid forward as you approached closer toward him. Taking his pale, cold hand into yours, you gave his wedding ring a gentle tug. 

 

You removed the silver necklace around your neck, a cute silver star glittered as the light touched it. It was the last gift you had received from your parents, one you will always treasure. You slipped the silver necklace into your father’s ring, watching it collide with the silver star before settling into place. Moving over toward your mother’s chamber, you had done the same, taking her hand into yours and slipping off her ring.

 

"I'll miss you guys."

 

The necklace, now adorned with two golden rings was around your neck and hidden beneath the neck of your dress. You left the room, briefly looking back at the two familiar corpses before continuing down the hall. You needed to take your mind off of things. So much had happened in a short amount of time that you couldn't help but think of this whole situation as some kind of bad dream. To distract yourself, you wondered what happened to the other scientist in charge of overseeing the conditions of you three. Was he still alive? You doubted that. The way the lab looks says just how much time had passed. Maybe you’ve been asleep for thousands of years and all that was left on earth are animals? It was a light hearted thought that didn’t fail to bring a small smile to your face. It was better than thinking of your parents.

 

Now that you implanted the subject of your parents in your thoughts, you couldn’t help but think about the reasoning for their deaths. You didn’t understand why your chamber was left undamaged while your parents looked as if they were broken in to. Did something happen while you were asleep? Maybe intruders ransacked the building and had killed your parents in the process, but if that were the case why did they decide to keep you alive? You couldn’t put your finger on it, maybe it was better if you didn’t. Your discoveries could lead to horrible truths that you would then irresponsibly act on. Right now wasn’t the time to get depressed, you needed to get back out onto the surface and see just how much you had missed.

 

The lab wasn’t large. It was fairly small only containing five rooms; two for you and your parents, and the rest for keeping supplies and chemicals needed to keep the cryogenic suspension going. After you had seen the amount of liquid nitrogen kept in one of these room, you concluded that the project was meant to go on for a lot longer than it had turned out to be. That was if the scientists continued to tend to you and your family. Something had to have went wrong since your parents had perished long before you had woken up and the scientists had long abandoned their lab. The only thing in this lab you had considered huge was the lengthy hall that connected the lab to the elevator which would take you directly toward the surface, or at least somewhat close.

 

When you had first arrived here with your parents, you had at believed the three of you were going to an amusement park, but were quickly disappointed when you learned that you weren’t going to have any fun at this park. By then, the White Chlorination Syndrome had already become rampant and highly contagious. You remembered how cautious your parents were around people and how they had pulled you out of school once they first heard of the pandemic. You father practically begged you to stay inside the house just to keep out of contact with anyone. Back then the death toll was high, after all the government couldn’t make a vaccine for people turned into salt. If it weren’t for your father, you might have ended up as a pillar of salt yourself. Because of his job and relation to the government, he was able to partake in a project that needed healthy people. One that came with a huge risk but if it was successful, it would have thrown the three of you into a time that was much more peaceful and less life threatening. But no one could tell the future for sure, so it could have been worse than it was back then. Your father took this deal knowing full well what could have happen. Death, or something far worse than the WCS.

 

You wondered what he would have said if he were here now. Probably about how right he was. You smiled at the thought, your gaze lifting up from the ground as it met the dull sheer of the metal elevator. The buttons flickered with electricity, reassuring you that you had a way out. The small ding of the elevator brought a sense of relief after you had pushed the silver button. Through the silence you were able to hear the elevator make its way down from the top floor. You were excited and afraid to see what the surface had in store for you. You didn’t know what to expect other than the life you used to have. You wondered how well you would be received by the people of the future once you come into confrontation with them. They may not even believe your story.

 

You watched as the silver doors opened, revealing the interior of the elevator. You stepped in, pushing the small button that read the number ‘1’ as you backed yourself against the wall. The feeling of your body being pulled up seemed to catch you off guard. Your grip tightened around the metal pole attached to the elevator’s wall, as a small gasp emitted from your lips. It had been way too long since you were on one of these. You laughed at yourself, feeling the stress and nervousness die down for a little while. There was only one more other elevator to take then you’ll officially arrive on the surface. 

 

Your head perked at the sound of a ‘ding’. You peeked your head out as the elevator doors slid open. You were in another hallway below the amusement park’s stage. You remember seeing a play on your way to the lab back when all of this had first started. You remembered the play was Romeo and Juliet. Your nose crinkled at the memory. You never were really a fan of Romeo and Juliet.

 

The walls of the hallway were caked in dust and rust, the floor was no better. Debris cluttered the hallway and tattered posters lay scattered across the floor and wall. Making your way up further, you stopped in front of yet another elevator. Your hand was already hovering over the control panel when you noticed that the elevator was coming down. You stepped back, your hands clutched at your chest as you began to feel the pounding of your heart. Someone was on their way down and you weren’t even sure if these were normal people or something far worse.

 

Before you were put to sleep, there were a number of incidents involving people plagued with the WCS who turned into violent beings. They were dangerous and had killed a number of people before being put down. You really hoped this wasn’t the case anymore. Last thing you needed was to be killed even before making it to the surface.

 

In nervousness you bit down on your lower lip as anxiety clawed at your chest. You clutched your hands even closer to your chest as the familiar ding of the elevator marked its arrival. Your hands were clammy and your mind racked for suggestions to ensure your survival. Was there somewhere to escape to? Somewhere to run? You knew this hallway had no other exit other than the one you were standing in front of.

 

“That’s why I was thinking we-“

 

Your eyes widened at the two people standing in the elevator, their attention was on you but that was hard to tell with the black blindfolds that shrouded their eyes. You only knew they were gazing at you because of how the male had stopped his talking mid-sentence, his hand slowly lowering to his side. The female on the other hand, had a cautious look as she quickly reached for her weapon. The both of them radiated an aura which made you feel as if you were in danger. Maybe it was only the woman who gave it off. 

 

Your back made contact with the wall as you held your hands closer toward you. Your eyes frantically glanced around the hall for anything to help you. The woman approached closer, her sword pointed at you. The other attempted calming her, yet she ignored him and snapped at you in a dangerous tone.

 

“Who are you?”

 

Her voice was calm, yet it didn’t give you any feeling of reassurance. You stuttered, your answer coming out in breaks as you tried to get a grip on yourself. Your legs shook with fear as they finally gave out causing you to collapse on the floor.

 

“My…name…”

 

Her sword came closer. She was pushing for an answer.

 

“2B!”

 

The male had once again attempted to pull her back. With ease she shook off his grip.

 

“Who are you?”

 

Your lips quivered as you caught a breath you didn’t know you were holding. You needed to answer. Now.

 

“Y/n…I-I’m Y/n.”

 

The woman’s grip on her sword hesitated for a minute, her eyebrows scrunching as she tried to wrap her head around your answer. The male seeing his chance, pulled her back and away from you. If it weren’t for the situation you were in at this moment, you would’ve been completely mesmerized by the duo's beauty. The two of them sported the same silvery white hair, the male’s just reaching his ears while the female’s had just reached above her shoulders. They also wore some type of black uniform that gave you the indication that they might be a part of the military or some organization. Right now really wasn’t the time to gawk at strangers who were threatening your life. 

 

“Y/n are you-“

         
You flinched as the male approached you, your hands flying up to protect your face. Through the opening of your fingers, you could see a small robot like device hover over you.

 

“Alert: Human life form detected. Proposal: contact the commander and await further orders.”

 

Lowering your arms you curiously peered at the small flying device with curiosity. You knew then you had to have been very far into the future. Robotics weren’t even this advanced back in your time. What it said didn’t bother you much, in fact it’s words had gone completely unnoticed by you. Yet it seemed to have taken the two strangers by surprise. The woman's stance softened as she lowered her sword, light glinting off the white blade.

 

“…Human?”


	2. Chapter 2

"You're human?"

 

His voice was laced with disbelief. You lowered your arms down from your head as you gently nodded. Wasn't it obvious? You didn't look like those beings from back then; the ones infected with White Chlorination. You looked like them. Human. At least you thought. You haven't looked in a mirror for God knows how long.

 

Silence fell between the three of you, even the small robots didn't bother making a noise. Maybe because they didn't feel the need to. The two of them seemed to have some kind of silent conversation as they would look towards you and then back to each other. You wondered if telepathy was possible now. You decided during this time to gather the rest of your courage in order to straighten some things out. You needed to know what year it was and if you could receive some help from these two.

 

"Um..." 

 

The two looked towards you once more, though their gaze refused to move away from yours. You understood that this meant they were curious as to what you wanted to say.

 

"...Can either of you by any chance tell me what year it is?"

 

You felt as if the shaking in your voice was a dead giveaway of how afraid you were. You were a bit embarrassed of how cowardly you were acting, yet you also felt these two knew what you were going through. The woman no longer held hostility in her voice, she seemed to have even a soft tone as if she were talking to someone she had deeply cared for. You knew it to be impossible seeing as you had only met her a few minutes ago, no matter how informal it was, and you hadn't even known her name. 

 

"11946 A.D."

 

Your gaze shifted down toward the ground as the information she had given you processed within your mind. '11946? I've been asleep for that long...?' You had been asleep for 9,929 years. Now that you realize it, you knew from the surprise these two had about you being human meant that humans may no longer be present on earth. The duo looked down at you, your prolonged silence perplexed them. The male who stood in front of you crouched down resting a hand on your shoulder which drew your attention back to him and the woman.

 

"Are you okay? Why did you ask what year it was?"

 

You averted your gaze, the memories of your parents and the life you had lived before flashing rapidly in your mind. 

 

"I...I've been asleep since the year 2017."

 

After the words had left your mouth, silence had passed between you three. They were confused by your words and didn't understand how you managed to stay asleep for over 9,000 years. You couldn't exactly blame them, your words were a little vague. Yet now wasn't the time to try and explain what you had recently went through. 

 

"If neither of you have any business with me, I really need to get going." You rose up to your feet after brushing off the male's hand from your shoulder. "I need to see how much the surface has changed."

 

You moved past the woman, your shoulder brushing against the fabric of her sleeve as you passed. Just as your feet made contact with the cold metal flooring of the elevator the woman had spoken.

 

"We're required to accompany you. The surface is much more dangerous for you. Especially since your unarmed."

 

The woman alongside her companion had joined you on the elevator. The both of them stood on either side of you. You watched as the woman reached over and pressed the button to take the elevator up. You were now worried whether the WCS was still present. The threat of WCS wasn't the only thing nagging at you, it was also the words the woman had said. 

 

"...Required? So you two are with the military."

 

"Negative." the robot hovering above the woman's shoulder started. "The units 2B and 9S belong to YoRHa and are now assigned to protect and escort the human known as Y/n."

 

You blinked, the newly acquired information sinking into your mind. "Units? YoRHa? What's it talking about?"

 

"I know this may come as a surprise to you, Y/n" the male turned towards you. "But 2B and I are androids. We were originally-"

 

"Before we start telling her about us, we should first discuss things with the commander in a more safer place." The woman interrupted right as the elevator dinged, signaling that the three of you had made it to your desired floor. "We'll give proper introductions back at the resistance camp." 

 

As the three of you stepped off the elevator, the woman, who you now knew as 2B led you two into the building you had recognized as the entrance to the amusement park's stage. This was where you had seen glimpses of the Romeo and Juliet play before heading into the lab with your parents. The building was darkened and piles of collapsed building laid strewn on the floor. The once vivid red carpet that led visitors from the entrance to the stage was dirtied and torn. The entrance no longer looked anything close to the enchanting entrance you had remembered. If this place had looked like a wreck, you couldn't imagine how the outside or other familiar places like the city had looked. This place reminds you of how much time you've missed.

 

"This place must look a lot different to you than us, right?"

 

9S slowed his pace in order to walk beside you. He must've noticed how spaced out and taken in you were with the building's appearance. His words easily blended in with the millions of thoughts running through your head that you almost didn't hear what he said. You nodded, your eyes still dancing across the building's interior as you followed behind 2B.

 

"This place used to be a lot more prettier back then. I know, hard to believe now." You laughed. "This place was the last place I remember before going to sleep."

 

The entrance to the stage was more than just a remembrance of your last moments in your original time, it was a place that held the last memories of you and your parents. Even now, you can still hear the echoes of children's laughter and the chatter of their parents. 

 

The tone in your voice must have given 9S the indication that the subject was something not to be touched until you were ready. The subject of past memories brought on waves of sadness over the loss of your parents and if you were pressed to discuss more, then you felt that it would be impossible to hold back your tears. You could even feel the familiar clench of your throat as you bit down on your lip to keep a sob in. 

 

"It really surprised us to see a human here! We thought the rest of humanity was on the moon."

 

As much as you appreciated his attempt to lighten your mood his words jabbed you with confusion. Moon? Is that where everyone had left while you slept? A part of you felt hurt that you were easily forgotten, but that was only because the people who knew what had happened to you were your parents, and the team of scientists who asked your family to take part in their experiment. You decided to ask 2B and 9S about the whole moon thing later.

 

Just as the three of you are about to pass the threshold of the large doors, 2B turned toward you. The corners of her lips were turned down, showing how serious her next words were.

 

"9S, I'll take the lead. You make sure she doesn't get hurt. Don't allow any machines to get close, got it?"

 

9S nodded, the small smile he wore flattened out. You wondered just how dangerous the world was now. You had heard 2B say something about machines. You felt assured that the White Chlorination Syndrome had not been a problem anymore, but the mention of these 'machines' brought on anxiety. These machines had to have been the reason humanity fled to the moon.

 

Walking out of the stage building, brought over a wave of nostalgia. The amusement park wasn't as populated as you remembered. and almost seemed bare. From the long bridge that connected the main park to the stage you could see some lights and confetti being thrown into the air. In a way it was as if time had never stopped for this park, yet the absence of human life told you a different story.

 

As the three of you traversed down the bridge, you busied yourself with memories of the past. To you it felt odd how quiet the park was, without the laughter of children, this place seemed almost creepy. Lying a hand on your chest, you could feel the rings of your parents through the fabric of your dress. The thought of them brought you the comfort and reassurance you needed. It was like their way of saying that it was okay to go on and to live as if they were still alive.

 

"Wait! 2B look! Up ahead!"

 

You followed 9S's pointed finger, your eyes coming into contact with the a strange flying object. The thing was looking towards you three, a small white flag tucked into the back which barely peaked out over its head. Maybe these were the machines 2B mentioned earlier.

 

2B immediately rushed over toward the machine after hearing 9S's warning, the two of you followed closely after. You were lucky that the concrete of the bridge was smooth, otherwise your bare feet would have protested against your rushed movements. Just as 2B approached the machine, 9S stood protectively in front of you. His stance was cautious as if he were anticipating the machine to make a move. 2B held the same positioning, her hand hovering toward her weapon as she watched the machine carefully. You were sure the two were going to fight it, until the machine spoke.

 

"I am not hostile." 2B lowered her arm back down to her side as the machine continued. "You defeated the broken machine. You saved us. We repay you. Come to our village."

 

You pondered the machine's words. Did 2B and 9S take care of some troublesome machine before they had met you? There were too many things that had confused you about the two of them. Returning back to the situation you noticed that 9S seemed to relax at the machine's words, despite his distrust of them. He initially protested against the idea, yet caved in after realizing the amounts of data he could gather. 2B looked toward you, despite not being able to see her eyes, you could tell she was conflicted. 

 

"If this is a trap, it'll be difficult to protect you and take care of them-"

 

"Don't worry, 2B. If it does end up being a trap, I'll take her somewhere safe."

 

You felt like you were being a burden as there wasn't much you could do against these machines. Even after telling the two how you felt, the both of them reassured you that you weren't a problem. After 2B had accepted the machine's request, it hovered off after telling the three of you to follow it.

 

You didn't realize just how versatile your two companions were, well that was explainable seeing as you had only knew them for two or three hours. You were barely able to keep up because of how long you had stayed asleep. You had lost your ability to run as fast as you did during your time in track when you were still in school. Your bare feet didn't impose a problem as long as you stayed away from obvious places that had rubble or rougher terrain. Just as the three of you made it to the what you presumed was the village you nearly collapsed to the floor with fatigue. It took all of your power not to fall onto the floor and allow the sweet embrace of sleep to envelop you.

 

"They must really not want to fight..."

 

Perking up your head, you looked toward where 2B and 9S had their attention directed toward. Those who your two companions referred to as machines were waving large white flags, symbolizing their peace with the three of you. You knew the white flags were directed toward these two more than you. 

 

You followed closely behind 2B as she approached one of the near-by machines just across the bridge. You could tell that 2B, despite her calm exterior, was extremely unnerved by the amount of 'harmless' machines. You were nervous yourself, these things after all were what you assumed drove out humanity. 

 

"Hello." You watched as the machine put the white flag down next to itself. "Before we begin, there's something you must understand..."

 

You anticipated it's next words, hoping that it wasn't the mark of your end. 2B even seemed to tense at its odd pause in its sentence. You noticed how she moved a bit more in front of you as if she were going to act as a shield for you against whatever they decided to throw your way.

 

"We are not your enemies."

 

You released a breath you unconsciously held in. It's words came as more of a relief than you thought. From your side, you could see 9S step forward, joining 2B's side. 

 

"2B, we cant trust anything the machines say!"

 

Despite having no facial expressions, the tone of the machine's voice seemed to display it's emotions. It was a bit hurt at 9S's aggressive distrust. You were sympathetic with the machine, it probably didn't feel good to be treated as an enemy despite showing nothing but peace towards strangers. You wouldn't tell 2B and 9S about how you felt though.

 

"I understand that you see us as the enemy, but..." The machine shook it's head. "Well, anyway. My name is Pascal. I'm the leader of this village." Pascal motioned toward the rest of the white flag waving villagers. "Those who reside here desire nothing more than to live a peaceful existence. Look around for yourself. You'll see that it's true."

 

2B nodded as she moved towards the innermost of the village with 9S following shortly after. You lagged behind, finally able to see the full view of the machine before you, your head tilted as you observed it. Pascal must have been in deep thought since he hadn't noticed you staring until a few moments of silence pass.

 

"Oh, I didn't notice there were three of you. Who might you be?"

 

"Y/n L/n." You averted your gaze. "Um, sorry about 9S. He's a bit..."

 

"Don't worry about, miss Y/n. I understand why he would act that way towards me. It'll be a long time before androids and machines can live together in harmony, but I have hope it'll happen someday." Pascal emitted a small laugh. "I'm glad to see at least one android can consider a machine's feelings."

 

"Ah, I'm not an android. I'm a hu-"

 

Just as the words were about to leave your lips, 2B had clamped a hand over your mouth as she dragged you away from Pascal. You were a bit amazed at how the pair had rushed towards you that fast before you had noticed. As you were being taken away, 9S had busied himself with throwing glares toward the docile machine as the three of you exited the village. You struggled against 2B's grip which proved to be more difficult than you had thought. It wasn't until you three were a distance away from the village that she unhanded you.

 

"Y/n! Don't go telling machines that you're human!"

 

"It's our job to protect you, but you going around and saying unnecessary things makes things difficult."

 

You never liked the feeling of getting scolded, especially by those who you barely knew. Sighing, you nodded your head. You had to listen, they were helping you and being friendly with the enemy wasn't going to keep you alive. Dropping your gaze down to the ground, you apologized to the pair.

 

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize what I was doing."

 

You still didn't fully understand why telling the machines you were human endangered you in anyway. It was obvious you didn't look like an android despite their close resemblance to humans, so what was the big deal exactly? A huff escaped 2B's lips as she murmured her reassurances that it was okay and warned to not make the same mistake twice. 9S on the other hand continued lightly scolding you about the dangers of revealing your race to anyone other than fellow androids. The pair decided to take you to the resistance camp where you'd be more safer so they could resume their tasks without worrying about you.

 

After your first mistake, you noticed how more watchful the pair were over you during your journey toward the resistance camp. Either 2B or 9S were by your side while the other (mainly 2B) led the way. Even when you pointed this out, they claimed it was to protect you better and helped keep 9S busy instead of bothering 2B with his antics. Along the way, you also realized that the two had slowed down for you, probably noticed how much trouble you had keeping up with them during your trip toward the machine village. You were grateful for their consideration and even more for not pointing this out to you.

 

"Y/n, you remember the night time, right?"

 

His question struck you odd. You had been tuning out most of everything he had said to you for the past twenty minutes and had only snapped back to reality when he had asked you the question directly. You glanced toward him briefly before returning your attention towards the open fields in front of you. The city you had came to familiarize yourself with many years ago, was now empty and reclaimed back by nature.

 

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

 

Speaking of night, you wondered why you hadn't seen the sun go down at all. Did time escape along with humanity? Your face held a puzzled look as you rested your chin atop your hand. 9S, noticing your expression, laughed to himself.

 

"So you've noticed. Night never arrives here anymore."

 

Would that mean you'd have to sleep in the day time? Well, it was no different than a nap, right? 

 

"You mean it's daytime all the time?"

 

9S nodded his head as he folded his arms across his chest. He even looked to be in deep thought, yet you couldn't fathom what it was that put him in such thought. 

 

"Was it...pretty?"

 

You nodded. "Extremely. Especially in the countryside. There you could see the sky filled with stars and the moon seemed as clear as day."

 

A smile tugged at 9S's lips as he heard your description of something he would never be able to see in his lifetime. In more ways than one he felt extremely envious of you.


	3. Chapter 3

Traveling to the resistance camp proved to be more of a challenge than you had thought. There were tons of machines surrounding the area, leaving 2B to have to take care of them while 9S stuck as close to you as he could. You still didn't know much about the two of them and were hoping that once the three of you arrived to the resistance camp, they'd properly introduce themselves. 2B seemed to be resistant in telling you why they decided to stick with you since you've woken up. She would dodge the question with answers of how she would tell you once you had made it to the resistance camp. It wasn't that you didn't trust her words, you just hated being kept in the dark about things you felt like you should know.

 

"The resistance camp is near by. Once we introduce Y/n to Anemone, we'll leave."

 

You bit your lip as you stepped over one of the many machine corpses scattered across the paved road. Did she forget about having to explain things to you? Did androids forget things? Weren't they like computers? Shaking your head, you attempted to focus on the situation at hand. 2B was purposely trying to avoid telling you things.

 

"Don't you two have some explaining to do? I still don't know what's going on..."

 

As the three of you entered a space between two crumbling buildings, 2B turned towards you. Her lips were pulled in a tight line as she looked slightly down at you.

 

"I didn't forget. The truth is, our commander doesn't want us to tell you anything until she arrives. In fact, we're expecting another transmission once we get to the camp. I'm sure once she sees for herself that you're a real human, she'll fill you in on what you don't know."

 

You nodded your head. You understood that 2B and 9S were under someone's command, so you didn't blame them for not being able to fill you in on their own. They had orders to follow and you weren't going to compromise that for some information that might have been better to not know.

 

"The commander's coming here?!"

 

Both you and 2B were a bit startled at the sudden excited rise of 9S's voice. He seemed to be flustered about the new information which gave you the feeling that this commander doesn't really get out much. Well, that might be explainable seeing as they are the commander.

 

"You weren't listening when the commander told us what to do with Y/n?"

 

2B's voice was as calm as ever, securely masking the annoyance she had felt. Crossing her arms over her chest, she waited for what ever silly reason 9S was going to give her. You had another feeling that this seemed to happen a lot.

 

"...Well, no. I was a bit too distracted with coming into contact with a human that I kinda forgot to listen?"

 

2B turned back around as if she hadn't heard what he had said. You sighed deeply before abandoning him to join 2B's side, the both of you ignoring his protests for you two to stop and wait for him. 

 

You followed 2B deeper into the alleyway-like passage before being greeted by the sight of what looked to be a camp. This had to have been the resistance camp 2B had been speaking of. Your curious eyes glanced around your new surroundings taking in the small yet charming patch of flowers that had grown in the middle of the camp, the many shops within the camp and observed the people who who either tended to their shops or stood around talking to their friends. You could feel the stare of those the three of you had passed by, yet you paid no mind. It felt nice to see others beside yourself and the two that accompanied you. It almost felt as if you were back in your own time. Almost.

 

2B stopped herself in front of a woman who wore a smile on her face as she greeted the two of them. Since you were standing behind 2B, you were a little out of her view.

 

"Is there something you needed?"

 

2B nodded as she stepped to the side, revealing you to the raven haired woman. Green eyes met with e/c before she blinked and took in your appearance. Her gaze straying on your bare feet before returning back to 2B.

 

"We need you to look after her while we're gone."

 

The woman tilted her head, confusion written in her eyes. You briefly wondered if these people were apart of YoRHa, but since they didn't share the same uniform and blindfold as 2B and 9S you quickly waved that assumption away.

 

"Why? She's an android, isn't she? I'll have her-"

 

"She's a human." The woman's eyes widened as 2B revealed your race. "She's important. The commander ordered us to bring her here until she's able to arrive here herself."

 

The woman glanced toward you before returning her attention back to 2B. She gave a quick nod to indicate she understood what she needed to do. You approached her, a small smile on your face as you greeted her, which she then introduced herself as Anemone, the resistance leader and you, in turn, introduced yourself.

 

"Y/n, we'll be back to greet the commander with you, just make sure you stay here where it's safe."

 

You nodded at 2B's words as you waved goodbye to the two of them. It wasn't until you could see them disappear behind a building that you turned around back toward Anemone.

 

"Is there anything I can do to help out?"

 

You hated having to be looked after. You weren't a child anymore and you didn't want to be babysat like this, but you knew this was necessary. You saw the dangers out in the city for yourself and the fact that you had no combat experience proved that this was all to make sure you didn't die. Sure, it wounded your pride, but you would rather have that than be dead. You also wanted to prove your worth by assisting Anemone, anything to not seem useless.

 

Anemone's smiled gently as she shook her head. She motioned toward a room across the camp behind you.

 

"For now, why don't you rest?" She began to lead you toward said room. "While you rest I'll find some shoes for you. I'm sure your feet hurt like hell."

 

She was right about both of those things. You're feet burned against the concrete floor and you sure you had a bruise or two from hitting your feet against things as you had ran to keep up along 2B and 9S. You were extremely tired, your eyelids drooping when Anemone had mentioned rest. You followed her into the room, your eyes coming into view of the two beds which you were more than appreciative of. The room was small but you assumed that was only because this was probably a storage area before being turned into a makeshift room. A table stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by shelves containing various items and stacks of books. 

 

You never really considered yourself a book person since other things tended to distract you from ever being able to pick one up. But now that electronics were gone, you considered picking one up sometime. You would need something to do after all if 2B and 9S were going to leave you alone like this. Turning around back toward Anemone, you smiled kindly before thanking her for the room.

 

"Don't worry about it, Y/n. You're more than welcome here. In fact, I'm sure there are others here who want to meet you."

 

You tilted your head, as you nodded. You wondered what kind of people the others at the camp were. They all looked at you with curiosity as if they'd never seen anything like you. You assumed it might have been what you wore, even Anemone had a confused look when she had finally gotten a view of you. After all, you were in a white dress and the only others to wear a dress were those who belonged to YoRHa, which you obviously weren't apart of. It may have also been because you were walking around barefooted.

 

"Why would they want to meet me?"

 

Crossing her arms over her chest, Anemone shifted her weight on to her other foot. She raised her eyebrows and her expression held a look as if the answer was obvious. 

 

"Humans are something we've neve met despite fighting so much for them. And I know there are people here who would really like to hear what life was like before the machines arrived." Anemone's words confirmed that the others outside, including herself, were androids. Tilting her head down and away from you, Anemone mumbled to herself. "And I'm sure those two would be more than appreciative of your presence."

 

You blinked in confusion as you asked her to repeat what she had said. Anemone shook her head and replied that it wasn't anything to worry about. She wished you a peaceful sleep before leaving the room and shutting the door behind herself. You headed toward the bed against the wall wondering who the two were that Anemone were referring to, but decided that if she weren't going to tell you, it probably wasn't any of your business. Plopping onto the bed, you snuggled yourself under the covers as you felt your body slowly begin to relax into a deep sleep.

 

Your sleep was gently ended by a hand who shook you awake. It wasn't a hard shake that would piss you off, it was more gentle and the voice that called you awake was soft. Your eyes fluttered open slowly before glancing around the room until your gaze had met the two responsible for awakening you. 

 

They mirrored each other in their looks. Both shared maroon-ish colored hair, the aqua colored eyes, the small flower in each of their hair, and even their attire matched each other. The only thing that differentiated between the two were the styles of their hair. One had straight hair while the other had wavy.

 

Sitting up, you rubbed your eyes with the back of your hands before giving out a loud yawn. You slept well and felt much more energized than before. Despite sleeping for thousands of years, you were worn out from all the events that had taken place in those few hours. The twin with straight hair smiled down at you before taking a seat into one of the metal chairs placed directly next to your bed. You wondered if these two had been sitting next to you, waiting for the moment you would awaken.

 

Her twin stood behind her, arms crossed over her chest as she gave you a small smile. "Good morning," she greeted. "I'm sure you're wondering who we are, right?"

 

You nodded as the last bits of sleep faded away. The twin with wavy hair sat down next to her sister, her hands folded in her lap as the two looked at each other before returning their attention back to you.

 

"I'm Popola." The straight haired twin motioned to herself. "And this is my sister, Devola."

 

"Y/n." You introduced yourself. "Why are you two in my room? Have you been watch-"

 

"We weren't watching you sleep." Devola interjected, her voice sharp. "We were waiting for you to wake up."

 

"Sorry if we startled you." Popola apologized. "We were waiting, but you didn't seem like you were going to get up anytime soon so I woke you up."

 

Your cheeks dusted with red in embarrassment. You had unknowingly kept these two waiting and just thinking about how odd you looked when sleeping made your cheeks heat up. You nervously laughed as you muttered out apologies and asked what they needed you for. The two of them looked back at each other once again as if they were hesitant with what was about to be said and was silently begging the other to speak for them.

 

The both of them rose up to their feet, their chairs squealing as the legs scrapped against the concrete floor. You looked up at them, surprise and curiosity written on your face. With widened eyes you watched as tears streamed from Popola's eyes before she lowered herself onto the ground and lied her head down on your bed. Devola on the other hand had turned her head away from the two of you, but you could see the tears rolling off her cheek. You were unsure of what to do, their sudden tears made you fluster in movements. Your hands hovered over Popola's head, unsure of whether to comfort her or to leave her be. You opted to take your chances with comforting her, you couldn't just leave her alone like this.

 

"What's wrong, Popola?" You gently stroked her head. "Did I say something?"

 

Popola shook her head, saying something into the mattress that you couldn't understand. Just as you were about to ask her to repeat what she had said, Devola plopped back down into her seat as she quickly swiped at her tears.

 

"She's saying that she's sorry." Devola sniffed. "For being the reason humanity went extinct. We're sorry for leaving you all alone like this."

 

Her eyes refused to meet yours and stayed glued to the back of her sister's head. You momentarily stopped stroking Popola's head, your expression twisting into one of confusion.

 

"Why would that be your fault? You weren't the ones who placed these machines here on earth."

 

Devola shook her head as rubbed at more tears streaming down her face. This subject must've been hard for the two of them to speak of. You looked down at Popola with pity as you continued comforting her as best you could, even gently rubbing her arm in hopes that her hysterical sobbing would calm a bit. 

 

"Humanity ended long before the machines even arrived on earth. It was our fault that the project failed if only we-"

 

You sadly smiled at Devola's attempt to apologize for something she and her sister weren't responsible for. Lying a hand atop of Devola's you shook your head.

 

"Popola, Devola." You started. Popola picked her head up, eyes red with tears. "The end of Project Gestalt was not your fault. Even my father realized that project was never going to succeed. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. It was cruel of mankind to lay such a task on the two of you. Besides, humanity isn't dead. I'm here, aren't I?"

 

Project Gestalt was an attempt to prolong humanity by transferring the soul of a human into a 'vessel' of sorts, while a copy of the human (known as a Replicant) would fight off the enemy referred to as the Legion. Replicants were replaceable copies of humans who were only created based off the information of a human who underwent Gestaltification. The only purpose for Replicants were to exterminate the Legion and create a safer place for human life, it was only then that the souls of the original humans would return to their Replicant bodies. In theory the project sounded perfect, but your father and even yourself knew something was bound to go wrong. Making copies of humans and allowing them to have a life of their own only for it to get suddenly taken away from them was inhumane. Your father rejected the idea and looked for better ways to survive the threat of WCS and the Red eye disease. You only knew about Project Gestalt because you had read the files your father had of it, which had earned you a scolding when he had found out. Back then, the project seemed like a fairytale that was to never going to happen.

 

Popola and Devola both smiled at your kind words as they both wiped the rest of the tears that had stained their cheeks. The both of them explained to you of how long the two have been living with the guilt of ending the human race even when it was not them who had done the crime, but since all Devola and Popola models look the same, they felt as if they were just as guilty. You wished there was something more that you could do to comfort them, but to them your words of reassurance were just enough. 

 

The three of you talked of how the old world was, you told them your most fondest memories and they asked you questions of how life used to be back then. Despite crying after only five minutes of meeting you, the two didn't show signs of embarrassment or hostility towards you. You were human, the race they treasured and spent a part of their lives trying to protect. You might have been a stranger, someone they didn't know, but those kind eyes you possessed made them feel like you were closer to them than you actually were. With only one smile, you were able to break down their walls. The two of them relished in your human kindness and wondered if humanity still existed, would they be as kind as you?

 

A knock at your door, took the three of you out of your conversation. You hollered a 'come in' before being greeted with the sight of Anemone followed by an intimidating woman dressed in white and gold. Her long blonde hair was drawn up in a high ponytail, some of her bangs obscured her face from your view but you were able to catch the sight of her vibrant green colored eyes. She stood tall as she placed her hands behind her back. Behind her, you could see Anemone motioning toward Popola and Devola for them to leave. You bid them silent goodbyes as they turned to give you a quick wave and a promise to continue the conversation later.

 

The woman in white stepped forward and took a seat in the chair next to your bed, she crossed a leg over the other as she gave Anemone a nod which you assumed was a signal for her to leave. Only until she heard the door click shut is when she her lips parted to speak.

 

"You may know that I'm the Commander for an organization known as YoRHa."


	4. Chapter 4

"You already know don't you?"

 

You nodded your head. "You mean about Project: Gestalt?"

 

The blonde woman nodded. "Then you know about its end, do you not?"

 

You once again nodded. "I don't know that much, but I know that apparently humanity had gone extinct long before the project was meant to end."

 

"Good, so you at least know the gist. That's really all you need to know." The commander tilted her head. "But now that you're here, humanity can be revived. Can you tell me how you woke up?"

 

You nodded as you shifted your position on the bed so that way you'd sit more comfortably. The commander's words were hard and she seemed like she didn't want to even speak to you, but you could see the underlying curiosity in her eyes.

 

"I remember waking up in a glass chamber, I'm not sure what woke me up, but I was awake. Um, once I got the chamber to open, I fell onto the floor because I had briefly forgotten how to walk and my thoughts were all jumbled up. The only thing I can remember thinking is about how 'something went wrong'? I can't really remember why I thinking that. Once I got myself together, I left the room to go look for my mother and father who were further down the hallway from my room. Once I got there though, I saw that they weren't as alive as I was. They had died sometime between the past and now. But, that's all I can tell you, commander. I can't remember much from the experiment our family had undergone." You averted your gaze.

 

The commander nodded as she crossed her arms over chest. "But you remember the old world, don't you?"

 

You nodded. "Yeah, but for some reason, anything relating to the experiment is just blacked out from my memory. I can only remember taking part in it and waking up, but nothing else."

 

The commander sighed. "Well, I'm hoping if we take you back to where you woke up, you'd remember something."

 

You nodded. You were a bit hesitant in going back seeing as the bodies of your dead parents were there and it would only bring back that wave of emotion if you saw them again. Placing a hand over your necklace, you only hoped you were going to be able to keep yourself together. You were also curious as to why you were the only surviving member of what was thought to be a flawless plan.

 

"Commander, do they know?" Your eyebrows knitted together.

 

"By 'they' I'm assuming you mean 2B, and 9S?" You nodded at her response. "They don't know that humanity has gone extinct. It wouldn't matter anymore since you're still alive, which means we still have hope."

 

The commander rose up from her seat as she flattened out her uniform. "Well, Y/n. It was nice to see a human in the flesh for the first time and I would be honored to see you again. For now, you'll stay here under the resistance's protection until I can make arrangements for you to join us in the Bunker."

 

You tilted your head. "Bunker?"

 

"YoRHa's base of operations. Now, I must be going, I'll speak to 2B and 9S who are just outside and then I'll be off. Please, for the future of humanity, stay safe."

 

You nodded as you watched her leave the room. In silence, you thought about the things the commander had said to you. Her words gave you an odd feeling, you weren't sure what it was, but you didn't like it. It almost felt as if something bad were going to happen, you just didn't know what. 

 

The door clicked open, taking you out of your thoughts as your gaze settled on the pair that stood in front of the now opening door. You blinked curiously at them before giving them a gentle smile. You noticed in 2B's hands she carried a pair of shoes.

 

"Are you two leaving again?" 

 

They shook their heads at your question before approaching you. 2B dropped the pair of sandals onto your bed before motioning toward them.

 

"Here, Anemone told me to give them to you. You're coming with us." She said as she sat down into one of the chairs.

 

You reached for the sandals, your fingers running over the smooth side of the straps and buckles of the shoe. They weren't like flip-flops and you were glad they weren't, it would make traveling a lot harder than it needed to be. You slipped your foot into the shoe and was thoroughly surprised that they even fit as comfortably as they had. As you buckled the straps tightly onto your foot, you mindlessly listened to 9S talk to you about the odd things humans had done in the past.

 

"How come humans decided to live in one large building? Wouldn't that be difficult to keep your privacy?" He asked as you finished fixing your shoe.

 

"Um, I think it's because apartments were a lot cheaper than houses." You looked toward him. "So a lot of people just decided that would be better than nothing."

 

"Did you live in an 'apartment'?" You could see 9S's eyebrows knit together as the odd word had rolled off his tongue. You guessed he had never used or knew what that word was.

 

Shaking your head, You rose up from your seat before turning to face him. "No, I lived in a house with my parents," You told him. "Houses are much smaller than an apartment building."

 

2B, who also stood up after you were done putting on your shoes, placed a hand on your shoulder. "The commander had informed us that you were to return back to the place you came, so that's where we'll be taking you."

 

As the words left 2B's lips, your smile dropped as you gave her a curt nod. "Okay, just let me go say goodbye to Popola and Devola." Without waiting for a response, you moved past her and out of the door.

 

As you closed the door, you turned around and your eyes glanced across the camp in search of two familiar maroon haired girls. There, sitting on two chairs was the twins you were looking for. You waved your hand in the air as a wide smile spread across your lips.

 

"Popola! Devola!" You called as they turned their attention to you. You quickly walked up to them as they greeted your enthusiasm with smiles of their own.

 

"The commander's done with you right, Y/n?" Popola asked as her head tilted curiously.

 

You nodded. "Yeah, but she wants me to go back to the place where I woke up at."

 

"That's where your parents are, right?" Devola asked. She noticed your downcast expression and immediately regretted her words. "Sorry, I forgot..."

 

Popola gave her a side glance as if to tell her not to speak anymore. Despite your reassurances that you were okay and that it didn't bother you anymore, Popola and Devola still apologized. With flushed cheeks, you bid them both goodbye as you noticed 2B and 9S emerging from the other room.

 

"We'll see you later, Y/n." Devola waved.

 

"That's right, so get back safely, okay?" Popola smiled.

 

Nodding your head, you joined up with the other two androids as they waited patiently for you to finish up. You followed the two of them out of the resistance camp and back into the ruined city. As your mind wandered toward the future confrontation of having to return where you had awoke, you failed to notice the words that 2B had spoken to you.

 

"Are you listening?" Her voice broke through your thoughts.

 

Shaking your head, your eyes widened with alert. "N-no, sorry. I got distracted."

 

2B crossed her arms over her chest as she shifted her weight onto one foot. "We need to drop off something Anemone gave us for Pascal, you mind coming along?"

 

You nodded your head. "I don't mind! It'll be nice to see him again, anyway."

 

"More importantly," You turned your head toward 9S as he spoke. "are you okay? You've been out of it ever since the commander spoke to you."

 

"I'm fine!" You said as you averted your gaze and turned your attention back to the ruined city before you. "Let's get going, I'd hate to keep Pascal waiting."

 

2B hesitantly nodded at your request as you joined her to escape any conversation 9S would try and have with you about the subject you found yourself trying to avoid. You had already accepted your parents' deaths, yet you couldn't bring yourself to go back. It wasn't something easy to tell the pair who accompanied you, because you didn't think they'd be able to understand. Despite how human they looked, you couldn't forget that they lacked human emotions; or at least the understanding of them. You already felt helpless without them, you didn't want them to think you were any weaker than you already were.

 

Biting your lip, you attempted to shake the troubling thoughts out from your head. You could feel 9S burning holes on the back of your head from how intense his stare was. No matter how much you thought about it, you still couldn't wrap your head around the fact that he could do that with a blindfold covering his eyes.

 

Getting back to the machine village took a lot longer than it originally had. You appreciated how the two had slowed down for you and had even took in to account that you were human and not some high tech android like themselves. You had limitations and even the slightest misstep could cause you to fracture or twist something.

 

You noticed that they had even found a shorter way into the village without having to go into the amusement park anymore, which made you a lot happier than they would have thought. As much as you tried to keep your mind off your parents, you'd always find that everything you thought about would trace back to them. Each and every time you thought about them, 9S would notice your distraction and would address you on it. You'd usually avoid his question with changing the subject and continuing ahead of the two of them.

 

"Pascal!" you called as you crossed the familiar bridge.

 

Pascal, who perked at your voice, approached the edge of the second level of his village before he waved down at you. You rushed toward the ladder as your two companions followed closely behind you. Lifting yourself up and onto the second level of the village, a smile grew across your lips as you happily greeted Pascal.

 

"Miss Y/n!" his voice rose in response to your excitement. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

 

"Well, we're here to deliver something to you." You informed as 2B approached Pascal with the item he requested in her hands.

 

"Ah!" Despite his robotic voice, you could still decipher his excitement. "This is exactly what I needed-"

 

A loud rumble caused the four of you and even the villagers to stagger slightly. You whipped your head around in order to find the source of the earthquake like tremors, yet one wasn't in sight. 

 

"Wh-What's doing that?" You said as you felt 2B grab onto your shoulder as she tried to steady you.

 

"So, this was a trap!" 9S aggressively stepped forward toward Pascal, who in turn shook his head.

 

"N-no, this isn't our doing." 

 

Just as you were about to step in to defend him, 2B had cut the argument off before it even started.

 

"It doesn't matter right now, let's just go see what's going on. We'll deal with this later."

 

2B and 9S had turned away from Pascal before heading toward the village's exit. You threw a worried glance toward the machine, before deciding it would be best to catch up with the two androids.

 

"It's a Goliath class." 2B murmured. "Command has sent us flight units, but we'll need to get to the coordinates without Y/n coming into harm's way."

 

You tilted your head slightly at her words. "Goliath? What's that?"

 

"It's a lot better if you see." 9S told you.

 

As the three of you were about enter the city ruins once more, 2B had turned to you. Her mouth was set in a frown, expressing her seriousness and you could tell that her next words were something she had put thought into.

 

"Get on my back." She turned her back to you as she knelt down.

 

You hesitated, her words processing in your mind. Even 9S who stood next to you seemed to not know what to think of her words. As moments of silence passed by, 2B sighed.

 

"It'll be faster, just get on."

 

Shaking the confusion off your face, you heeded her words and wrapped your arms around her neck as she lifted herself and you off the ground.

 

"Won't I be too heavy?" You asked as she grabbed the underside of your legs and shifted you up.

 

"No, I was built to be able to carry heavier things than you. I'm fine." 

 

Nodding your head, you looked over your shoulder at 9S. "Maybe you should go ahead of us, I don't want you trying to look up my skirt."

 

9S, who seemed surprised that you would even accuse him of that, shook his head. "I-I wasn't planning on doing anything like that!"

 

Wind rushed through your hair as 2B sprinted across the fields with you on her back. She quickly sprinted past machines and vegetation as she traveled toward her destination. 9S led the two of you and kept up along perfectly with the speed of 2B. It had been a very long time since you've ridden on someone else's back. It felt nostalgic, and you could almost feel yourself about to doze off. Almost. 

 

Your eyes widened in horror at the ginormous foot in the middle of the city. You could feel the ground shake with its every step, and it made you afraid of what the rest of it had looked like. Were these were the machines that had wiped out humanity? It couldn't be since the twins had told you that the machines arrived a long time after the humans had gone extinct. So, who made them so massive?

 

You lied your head onto 2B's shoulder as she and 9S cautiously made it past the Golaith's feet. The two of them briefly stopped inside a building so that 2B could inform 9S that the flight units were on the roof top of the building next to the one you were in. 2B shifted you up again as her hands readjusted to grip the underside of your thighs. You in turn held onto her tighter as she and 9S climbed up the stairs toward the highest point they could reach.

 

"Be careful, 9S" 2B warned. "We don't know how many of these things there are." 

 

9S nodded at her words. "Same goes for you. Remember that you have precious cargo."

 

2B nodded as she and him continued toward the hole in the wall that led over to the next building. Just as the two were about to cross, the wall to their left had been burst opened and revealed the large machine. You looked on the sight with slight amazement as 2B swiftly dodged the swing of it's arm that was directed toward her.

 

"Hold on!" 2B commanded you as she dodged yet another swing of saw blade like arms.

 

You heeded, your grip tightening around 2B's neck and even wrapping your legs around her torso so that you wouldn't fall. 2B fired her pod at the large machine as she gave powerful kicks to the arms that had ended up on the building's floor. 9S swung his blade at the arms, cutting off the edges of the machine's limbs. You bit your lip in anxiety for their safety as you cursed your own uselessness. Fear had clawed at your chest, tightening its grip on your heart. It was a painful feeling that mocked you as 2B gave more rapid kicks and 9S put more force into his cuts. Being human had never made you feel more ashamed.

 

After a long succession of 2B's kicks and swings of 9S's blade, the machine had been seemingly destroyed. 2B lowered herself down so that you could easily get off and once you had she turned toward you.

 

"The flight units are over there." She pointed. "We'll take of the other one, just wait for us on that rooftop."

 

You followed shortly behind them before watching as they entered into the strange vehicles you assumed were the flight units. You didn't even have time to wish them luck before the two had shot off toward where ever the other one of the massive machine was located.

 

Silently, you prayed to whatever higher being looked over you, for their safety.


	5. Chapter 5

The explosion was huge.

 

You remember seeing the giant machine machine fall to the ground before it's eyes glowed with an ominous red and it's body began to give off electrical waves that you noticed had frozen 2B and 9S in their tracks. You wanted to scream out for them to move, and you did, yet your voice had been drowned out by the electrical crackling of the Goliath. 

 

The building you stood on had been relatively safe, it's distance had protected you from being touched by the machine's sudden explosion. White light that emitted from the machine had blinded you briefly, your arms flying up to protect your eyes instinctively. Your eyes blinked rapidly as they tried to adjust to the lighting and search for your two android companions.

 

The two of them were hovering in the air and seemed to be distracted by something that was in front of them. Relief had flood through you and you allowed a breath of air to pass through your lungs after thanking fate for allowing them to live through the whole ordeal. Just as you were about to call out to them, your eyes followed their line of sight and you realized what it was that distracted them. 

 

In the area where the Goliath had exploded, was a large gaping hole. Just from the building you stood on, you could tell that the hole had stretched across a good part of the city. After the dust had settled a little more, you gasped at how deep the hole reached into the earth. 

 

"Y/n!" Your head shot up to the voice who had called you. "Are you alright?"

 

You nodded at 9S's question, watching as he and 2B landed close to you and exited their flight units. You turned your attention back to the hole, your gaze dancing across every square inch of the cavern's flooring. There were several different things that had caught your attention about the fissure. Other than the hole the explosion made, there was a deeper one that seemed to lead to somewhere. Along the sides of the gap. you could see other entrances of places you assumed you couldn't access above ground.

 

Both 2B and 9S joined you at either side. "There's something down there."

 

You turned your gaze to 2B as she pointed down at the cavern that led deeper into the earth. "What's down there? Do you know?"

 

She nodded, returning her hand back to her side. "The Aliens."

 

You raised an eyebrow at her statement. "Aliens? I didn't hear about this from the commander."

 

"The commander didn't mention them to you?" 9S asked as you turned your head toward him.

 

"No, she didn't." You confirmed. "Did they come here after humanity's extinction?"

 

"Extinct? No, they're the reasons for humanity to go into hiding."

 

Nodding at 2B's words, your mind wandered to the possibilities as to why the commander didn't mention Aliens to you. Had she not trusted you? Or was it because she thought the subject would bring you pain? Whatever the case was, you were going to see the Aliens for yourself.

 

"Well, are we going down there?" Walking closer toward the edge of the building, you placed your hands on your hips as you turned toward the two, a stern look in your eyes. "I am going with you."

 

2B shook her head. "No you're not. It's dangerous and we don't know if they're still in there."

 

"I'll stay out of your way! Just let me go with you." 

 

2B looked over toward 9S as if silently asking for help on the subject. He on the other hand, had either ignored her silent pleads or had been oblivious to them and turned toward 2B to agree with you.

 

"I think it would be fine if she went." he nodded along with you. "I don't even think they're down there. They haven't even made a move against us, and they should know that we're here."

 

"Proposal: Bringing along the human known as Y/n will allow her to see the Aliens herself, thus making the commander's job explaining humanity's  situation easier." 2B's pod informed.

 

2B bit her lip. You didn't even have to see her eyes to notice her troubled expression. Normally you would comply with anything she had demanded of you, but this was something she would not push you out of. 2B deeply sighed before walking closer towards you and with swift movements of her arms, she swept you off your feet.

 

Panicked by the sudden loss of balance and the lack of feet touching ground, you looped your arms around her neck to keep yourself from falling. One of her gloved hands was tucked under your knees while the other had been placed under the upper part of your back. 

 

Your hold on her tightened when the edge of the building the three of you stood on grew closer before disappearing completely. You flinched as the impact of 2B's feet hitting the ground had shaken you.  

 

"Wait! 2B!" 9S had yelled before jumping down the building himself, his pod coming to his aid. 

 

You peered over 2B's shoulder at him, your mouth twisted in to a frown. "Hurry up!"

 

After the words left your lips, you were suddenly jerked back as 2B dodged an incoming laser aimed right at the both of you. 2B quickly put you back on your feet as the biped machine charged towards her, eyes glowing red.

 

"9S! Stay with her. I'll take care of this." 

 

2B's swords materialized on her back as she sidestepped a punch thrown at her. You were only able to watch momentarily before being roughly pulled to the side by 9S. You didn't realize just how close to the fight you had been standing until the biped had stomped on the ground where you had been moments ago. The ground cracked under it's impact and as the sound of it's kick and 2B's sword crashing into it rippled throughout the ruined city, you realized that the machines had learned to target you.

 

You had never seen them once aim an attack at you specifically and the recollection of the laser the same biped had fired at you and 2B only confirmed it. They had figured out that you were the one the two androids were protecting. 

 

The fight ended with 2B finally stabbing her sword right through the machine's head, it's body falling to the ground as it's eyes had dimmed before fading completely. 

 

"Y/n, are you hurt?" 2B approached you, her swords disappearing off of her back. 

 

You shook your head, your mind tracing back to the conclusion you had made just moments ago. You thought about telling the both of them, but now at this moment, it would only place an even greater burden on them and would only support 2B's demand to keep you at the Resistance Camp. Instead, you decided it would be best to just withhold the information until later. You only hoped there wouldn't be anymore trouble.

 

"Let's go, Y/n." 2B said as she turned her back to you and lowered herself down to one knee.

 

You looped your arms around her neck as she grabbed the back of your legs and lifted you off the ground. You hoped that the piggyback riding wouldn't last forever.

 

Peeking over your shoulder at 9S, you gave him a knowing look. "You know what to do."

 

9S sighed as he went on ahead. "Yeah, I know."

 

Ahead of the three of you was the hole that had grabbed your attention for the longest. Once 2B jumped down from the pavement of the city's street and onto the ground of the hole, you could clearly see the cavern the three of you wanted to get to.

 

In the middle of the hole, there were various debris of collapsed buildings occupying the space. Machines were scattered here and there, but didn't seem to notice the three of you. Cautiously you looked around, you didn't need anymore distractions that would keep you away from seeing those Aliens. 

 

As the three of you neared the cavern's entrance, you noticed how deep the cavern had actually been. It had reached so far into the earth that you weren't even sure that 2B could manage this fall. At least not with you on her back.

 

"Y/n," 2B called as you watched 9S jump in before the two of you. "hold up one of your arms and grab onto the pod."

 

You nodded as you held up your hand and watched as the small pod flew towards it. You could feel the pod's arms form into a small handle under your grip and once you had given your 'okay' to 2B, she jumped off the edge.

 

You had never been one for roller coasters, neither did you like heights but you were able to tolerate some things. This moment happened to not be any of the things you could tolerate. Despite having the pod slow your fall, you still had gone fast enough that it had physically made you sick to the stomach and fear heights even more. 

 

You could feel 9S pat your back comfortingly as you puked out everything you had eaten back at the Resistance Camp as 2B watched in slight horror and amazement at a human's tolerance for odd things. She didn't know heights were even capable of making a human sick until now.

 

You stood up from your bent over position, wiping the excess vomit off of your lips as you moaned. "I don't ever want to do that again."

 

2B nodded. "You won't have to. Command will send someone down to make a ladder or something." 

 

You sighed in relief at her words before thanking 9S for his earlier support. You were sure he didn't know what to do in the event of a human vomiting, but he had done a lot better than you expected. The three of you continued through deeper into the cavern, your hand resting on your stomach as you attempted to ease the nausea.

 

Your relaxation was short-lived as 2B had spotted enemies roaming about in the tunnels of the cavern. You stepped back, allowing both 9S and 2B to have their space. You could tell that the machines were still intent on getting to you, even taking fatal hits to get closer to you. You wondered whether your two companions had even noticed the change in fighting style the machines had acquired. 

 

The thought had worried you because it had meant that there was something or someone who wanted you dead.


	6. Chapter 6

When they put you under at the age of fifteen, never did you expect to be faced with the events you've experienced so far. It was foggy, but you remembered having hope that the future would hold more brighter things, not a world overruled by machines or androids. Were you disappointed? No, but you sure as hell weren't happy. Especially when the two responsible for directing millions of machines to kill you was right here in front of you. Ready to kill you themselves. 

 

"-they were wiped out centuries ago by us. The machines."

 

Despite 2B standing protectively in front of you, the burning stare of Adam, the long haired machine, seemed to pierce right through her. It was obvious that whatever these two were planning, and from the looks of the aliens sitting lifeless around the chamber, it wouldn't end peacefully.

 

"Wiped out?" 2B slightly tilted her head, her stance tensing with every moment of silence passing.

 

"And who knows? Perhaps we'll wipe out the androids next."

 

2B stepped forwards toward Adam's look alike, Eve, her swords appeared at her back as 9S motioned for you to stay back before taking his place in front of Adam. As much as you wanted to intervene and help them out, you knew you were no match against those two. Your humanity has gotten in the way multiple times since you've met these two and no matter how many times they tell you your life is important, it doesn't make up for how useless you feel. Or how much of a burden you've become. Now all you can do is sit back and hope those two make it out okay.

 

"Machines are weapons capable of evolution. We can grow. We can become...aware."

 

The fighting began. Blows were exchanged, so much happened so fast it was hard for you to even decipher who was even winning. Despite 2B's combat prowess, it seemed as though she met her match against Eve.

 

"Eventually, the intelligence within our network began to surpass that of our creators."

 

Adams words went unnoticed by you. Your focus was entirely on the two androids, and your thoughts solely praying for their safety.

 

"You'd surprised at how quickly it happened."

 

"You destroyed your own creators?!" 9S said as he harshly swung his sword at Adam, who easily dodged it.

 

"Oh, there's no need to fret about them."

 

The feeling of helplessness slowly crept up on you with each hit 2B or 9S would take. It physically hurt you to see them stagger slightly before diving right back into the fight. Adam and Eve seemed so strong compared to them, and the thought of them losing nagged in the back of your mind.

 

"They were simple. Infantile. Almost like...plants. I'd guess you'd say. They held no value to us."

 

To hear a machine talk so poorly about the ones who had created them, deeply unsettled you. You would think they would be grateful to even be given life, but apparently that gratefulness had worn off ages ago. 

 

"But the humans on the moon? Now they are interesting."

 

Your heart stopped to a complete halt when Adam suddenly appeared in front of you, just arms-length away. A smile that filled you with dread slithered across his lips as he outreached a gloved hand to gently caress your cheek. 

 

"Thankfully, I don't have to go that far for one."

 

His touch was only short-lived as 9S quickly separated the two of you with a swing of his blade that Adam had once again dodged. 2B even seemed to have been a little distracted and in return for her moment of weakness she had taken a harsh jab of Eve's knee into her back. Your knees buckled before giving out and forcing you down onto the floor. Your heart banged against your chest and your eyes watered as you struggled to catch the breath you had unintentionally held on to.

 

"Don't touch her." 

 

9S's warning was met with amused laughter. "Your precious human will stay safe, at least for now. I can see why androids hold them so dear. They killed uncountable numbers of their own kind, and yet loved in equal measure!"

 

The fighting resumed as if nothing had just happened, though 2B and 9S had fought with more vigor than they had previously. It was obvious from the more force the two of them used.

 

"It's fascinating, don't you think? What could possibly drive such behavior? We have dedicated ourselves to unraveling this riddle of humanity."

 

With clenched fists, you watched as 2B and 9S dodged their attacks with much more ease than they had before. It was almost as if they had memorized the patterns both Adam and Eve used. If it were any other time, you'd be a little more amazed. Right now all you cared about was them getting out of this as unscathed as they could.

 

"And now we will allow you to assist us. You were made in their image, after all."

 

"Assist you with what?" 2B snapped.

 

"It's simple. We need you to locate the humans on the moon and bring them to us. We will then dissect and analyze them in order to drag their secrets into the light! Surely you see the attraction in this."

 

Your eyes widened as Adam's words sunk in. You were the only one who knew that humanity no longer existed. You were the last of your kind and if they were planning on killing humans, then only God knows what they'd do to you. 

 

"Are you insane?! We'd never do that! Can you believe this, 2B? This guy's crazy!"

 

"Well. I suppose this concludes negotiations. The only remaining option...is to destroy you. The same way we destroyed these pathetic little aliens."

 

As if the fight was nothing for them, both Adam and Eve walked away before joining up at the front of the chamber. 2B and 9S seemed slightly confused by their sudden disinterest in fighting. 

 

"Time grows short. This here...this is the fate that befell our creators."

 

"As for your beloved humans..." You could feel Eve's stare shift over to you as the words left his lips. "I guess we'll see, won't we?"

 

And like that, they were gone. The yellow light that had wisped them away trailed slightly in their wake and with them left your past fear. It felt as if a brick was lifted off your chest and the anxiety you once felt dissipated almost entirely. 2B and 9S stood where the other two had once been, looking as if they were expecting Adam and Eve to appear again.

 

With a deep breath, you rose back up to your feet and started towards the other two. You contemplated whether or not to tell them that there were no humans on the moon, since it seemed what Adam and Eve said bothered them so deeply. 

 

"The aliens were already dead." 2B shook her head as her weapons disappeared. "He didn't do anything to Y/n, did he?"

 

9S shook his head, turning his attention towards you as you slowly approached. You gently grabbed onto 2B's arm, feeling the chill of her skin as you wrapped your arm around hers. If you were in the right state of mind you'd be embarrassed to be this close to someone you weren't that close with, but fear still had its hold over you and at the moment you wanted any kind of comfort you could get.

 

"I-I'm sorry, I just..." You held onto her tighter. "need a minute."

 

"Don't worry, Y/n. We won't let anything happen to you."  9S reassured you along with 2B nodding in agreement. "Once we get you to the Bunker, Adam and Eve won't be able to touch you nor the other humans."

 

"Speaking of the Bunker," You said as you unwrapped yourself from 2B. "you guys have to go back, right?"

 

2B nodded, crouching down as a silent command for you to board your ride. Piggybacking wasn't as fun anymore. Especially when the your ride travels at what feels like 100 mph.

 

Travelling back was a lot much easier than getting there. Machines no longer littered the tunnels or center cavern which was a relief since all you wanted to do was get back to the Resistance camp and got to sleep. Even now your eyes were drooping with fatigue, despite not actually doing much. You blamed your sleepiness mainly on the excitement that had occurred, and it also didn't help that the 'night's' before rest wasn't all that great.

 

"2B, this Operator 6O." Your ears perked at the voice which seemed to come from 2B's pod. "We now have an operational transporter in the city ruins. We're attempting to deploy them at other points as well."

 

"About time we had access to those!" 9S piqued up.

 

"Transporter? What is that?" You turned your head towards 9S who was walking alongside 2B.

 

"They let you transfer your consciousness to a temporary body back in the Bunker. Well, at least 2B and I can."

 

"Y/n will stay at the Resistance camp." 2B tilted her head over her shoulder. "You need rest."

 

"Agreed." You yawned. "Just don't forget me, okay?"

 

Peering over 2B's shoulder, you were delighted to see a ladder leading up the surface and a little confused as to who exactly was standing next to it. From the looks of it, they looked like another android and seeing as 2B nor 9S were giving any kind of reaction towards them, you guessed it was someone they knew.

 

"Hey. How's the human treatin' ya?"

 

You blinked at the name the stranger had referred to you by. If you weren't so tired, maybe you'd be even a little offended. Did 2B and 9S really know this person? 

 

"You again..." 2B shifted you up more comfortably on her back.

 

"Your commander told me to build a new access point, so...here ya go. Oh and I got the stupid transporter up and running too." She jabbed her thumb towards the vending machine next to her.

 

"Um, thank you?" 9S's tone of voice seemed unsure, which you wouldn't disagree that the person in front of you was a little off-putting.

 

"I've known the commander for a while now. She sure is good at pawning work off people. Wouldn't be surprised if she gives your human there some labor too. Next time you see her, give her some lip for me, will ya?"

 

Was the commander truly this hard on her allies? Last time you checked, the Resistance wasn't technically under YoRHa's command. You hopped off 2B's back before approaching the ladder since it would be much easier if you did this alone.

 

"There's a transporter back at the camp, so we can drop off Y/n before making our way to the Bunker." 2B nodded at 9S's words before joining you at the ladder.

 

"Once we get back on the surface, you know you'll have to get back on my back, right?" 2B asked, watching as 9S started up the ladder first.

 

"Yeah, I know." You sighed. "I know you can't help it, but please try not to give me whiplash."

 

"No complaining."

 

You puffed out your cheeks as she followed 9S up the ladder with you trailing shortly behind her. From the glimpse you caught of the ladder from afar, you knew that your arms and legs would be tired by the time you made it to the top. You'd be in no shape to even argue against 2B.

 

"I know it hasn't been that long, but how are you holding up? It looked like Adam really scared you." 9S asked as both he and 2B stood in front of you watching you attempt to stretch out your now sore arms.

 

"Um, I'm pretty much doing the same thing I did with my parents." You groaned as a bone cracked. "I'm repressing it. Pretty much."

 

"If you need someone to talk to, I'm- we're here for you, you know." 

 

You nodded at 9S words, giving him a reassuring grin. As much as you appreciated their kindness, there was no way you were going to be willing to tell them anything about how you feel. You would hate to come off whiny. 

 

"Let's get going. Any minute longer, Y/n will knock out."


	7. Chapter 7

When you awoke in the Resistance camp, you found yourself alone. 2B and 9S were no where to be seen, and you had figured the two had ran off on their own without you. For the best, you assumed since it seemed as though the two android-like machines had set out a mission to get their hands on you.

 

You had no idea where the two androids were and you didn't have a clue how long you had been asleep, but from the surprised looks you had received from both Popola and Devola, who had just walked through the door to the room you slept in, you assumed it had been quite awhile. The twins immediately moved towards you, their faces expressing the worry they felt.

 

"Y/n!" Popola placed her the palm of her cold hand onto your forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

 

You nodded at her question, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you removed the blankets off of your body. "...How long have I been asleep?"

 

It felt like déjà vu to be waking up feeling this horrible and not knowing what was going on. Excitement had never really gotten to you the way it did after your encounter with Adam and Eve. Then again, you've never had your life threatened before either, so you assumed that your sudden fatigue was caused from shock, or fear. You had a feeling it was a little bit of both.

 

Devola and Popola didn't answer your question immediately, instead they seemed to take a little more than a second glancing at each other as if they were urging the other to answer you.

 

"You were out for a little more than a few hours." Popola sighed, giving a slight glare at her twin. "2B and 9S...left to go take care of stuff."

 

"Do you know where they went?"

 

The both of them shook their heads. You dejectedly sighed, slumping your shoulders slightly as you fell back against the bed. You had no doubts that the two were never going to come back for you unless they absolutely have to.

 

"If you want, we have some errands to run and you can come along." Devola suggested, a smile curving at her lips. "Popola and I know how to fight, so you'll be safe!"

 

"I don't know about this, sis..." Popola warily glanced between both you and her sister. "If she gets hurt..."

 

"She won't get hurt. We'll make sure of it!" Devola said as she held out a hand for you to grasp. "She's been asleep in this room for hours, she needs to stretch her legs, right Y/n?"

 

You vigorously nodded, a reassuring smile spreading across your face as you turned to Popola. "Don't worry, Popola. I'll be fine."

 

Popola looked between the both of you, her face still holding that hesitant worried look before she sighed and reluctantly nodded. Both you and Devola looked at each other with a victorious grin as you grabbed her hand and lifted yourself off the bed. After earlier's mildly busy activities, your dress was a bit stained with dirt and you could imagine it only getting dirtier once the three of you set off for this little adventure.

 

Although you were extremely excited to be able to go along with the twins to run errands, you were also dreading the thought of 2B and 9S finding out you had left without them. You were mostly afraid of 2B, not so much of 9S. You hadn't truly gotten to know 2B, but from the little she has shown you of herself, you could tell she was very protective of you. You thought it was because you were human, you figured that she and the other androids were just programmed to feel that way, so the possibility of her scolding you angrily was quite scary.

 

"Anemone wants us to go out and find some these random parts." Devola peered at the sheet within her hand. "She said most of it would come from the machines."

 

"Just the small ones, right? Nothing too dangerous?" Popola interlocked her fingers together. "We don't want to do anything too crazy with Y/n. "

 

"Stop worrying about me!" You said as you linked your arms with theirs and pulled them towards the door. "Let's get going before something dangerous does decide to show up."

 

The both of them nodded, allowing you to pull them along out of your room. It wasn't until the three of you got to the middle of the camp that they stopped and unlinked arms to go and get their weapons. You stood waiting for them in the small spot of sunlight that peeked through between the buildings. It was warm and brought a nice feeling to your cold skin. In a way, it had brought on waves of nostalgia during your days in school.

 

"Y/n, how did you manage to beat my time?"

 

Your eyes widened at the voice, your head snapping over your shoulder as you scanned for where the voice originated. The androids around you didn't seem to react to your strange behavior, most of them going on with their business as you glanced around with a confused expression. You thought you heard the voice behind you, yet it had come from nowhere other than the recesses of your mind. You hadn't really thought of that memory since you've awoke from your 9,000 year long nap and now that you did, the words you had remembered saying back to the voice had rolled off your tongue like butter.

 

"Because you're too slow." You whispered, a small smile decorating your features.

 

The voice had belonged to your best friend, a girl you had remembered running alongside with during competitions and such. She did everything with you, shared memories with you; yet you couldn't even remember her name. The voice haunted you, and reminded you of the good years before being placed in a post-apocalyptic world that you still didn't believe was real. You couldn't tell if remembering the old days were a blessing or not.

 

It scared you to remember; because you knew one of these days you'll forget all about your best friend, your parents, your home, your old life.

 

"Y/n, are you ready?"

 

You lightly gasped at the sudden appearance of the twin androids. You had been too sunk in your own thoughts to even realize they were done doing what they needed to.

 

"Y-Yeah." You smiled. "I was just thinking about what kind of scolding we'd get from 2B when she finds out we've been up to no good."

 

"Keep talking like that and Popola will force me to leave you." Devola teasingly smiled. "Better yet, we'll leave you out there for boars!"

 

"Y-You wouldn't." You slightly cringed at the idea and cursed the fact that you told Devola of your irrational fear of the giant boars that inhabited your city. "Popola, you wouldn't let her, right?"

 

Popola shrugged, taking the lead ahead of the two of you. "I don't know...the offer's tempting."

 

"...Are you serious?"

 

"Are we?" Devola passed you, her grin beginning to irritate you.

 

There was no way in hell that you were going to meet your demise via giant boar. That would be the worst, if not, the most disappointing end. Popola who's gentle scolds at Devola to not scare you had gone unheard of by you as you continued reflecting on the possibility of death by enormous boar. In the past, you had been reassured by both 2B and 9S that the boars were harmless (as long as you kept your distance) and not man-eaters like you had thought. Even after that, you continue to showcase your fear for them. There was a reason you called it an 'irrational fear'.

 

"i've noticed that you've been a bit out of it lately, are you feeling okay?" Popola and Devola slowed their pace and joined your side.

 

"Yeah," You nodded. "I've just been a little worried about 2B and 9S. I hope they're okay."

 

"2B can handle herself." Devola reassured. "9S...not so much."

 

"Devola!" Popola lightly hit her shoulder. "Stop making Y/n worry."

 

"Fine, fine! They can handle themselves, Y/n. That's why they're in YoRHa. They were built for stuff like this."

 

"I know. Just can't help but worry." You rubbed at your hands, hoping to alleviate the nerves. "Especially when I'm so helpless."

 

"You're not helpless." Popola looked to her sister for help as she continued. "You were thrown alone into a world like this without a clue as to what's happening. I don't think anyone could be prepared for the things you've faced so far."

 

"But, you guys-"

 

"We're androids." Devola interrupted. "We aren't anything like humans. We can be rebuilt and resume our lives like nothing happened, while humans are irreplaceable. Why do you think you're treated like royalty by 2B and 9S?"

 

"If they thought you were a burden, they would have left you at the camp the minute you first arrived there." Popola smiled. "In a way, I think the both of them have grown attached to you."

 

You nodded, feeling the sudden weight that had been placed in the middle of your chest lighten. To be reassured by the twins helped you accept your role as the 'damsel in distress'. It was a title hard to swallow, but it was the truth and inadvertently, Popola had kindly pointed this out. The only thing that had really softened the blow to your pride was the fact that the twins had seen 2B and 9S think of you as a friend, and that was what mattered most. It felt like years ago when you met 2B and 9S, and you could still remember the fear you felt when 2B first threatened you with that elongated blade of hers. Even now when you see her wield it against machines, you still feel that same fear.

 

"Enough talking!" Devola said as she clutched the jagged sword in her hand, rushing ahead of both you and Popola. "There are machines just right over there and they are calling my name."

 

Popola sighed, dashing off after her sister as you lagged back to watch from afar. You contently watched as the two simultaneously fought the small group of machines, admiring how in sync they were with each other and yearned to be apart of that action. For some odd reason, seeing the androids fight had always brought on this wave of wanting to battle alongside them. It was probably an unsafe desire if you thought about it.

 

During your old life you had never actually learned how to properly defend yourself, which was probably why you mother had constantly worried over your safety when you were walking to and from school. Before the White Chlorination Syndrome was an outbreak, there was still the threat of another person ending your life. The neighborhood you lived in wasn't bad, in fact it was quite good, but that didn't stop your mother from worrying. Right now, you'd do anything to hear her tell you about being careful when you were by yourself. Though, the threat of another human wasn't a problem anymore. Since you were the last one and all.

 

You might have not known how to defend yourself, but it would probably seem useless since the only threat to you lied in the metal machines, which didn't look all too pleasant to punch. You wouldn't have doubt if you choose to do so that you'd more than likely break some bones.

 

"Y/n!" Your head perked at Devola's call from down the little hill you stood on. "Hurry up or we're going to leave you!"

 

You yelled back an answer and silently reassured yourself that she wasn't being serious before walking after them. The city had been quite peaceful except for the distant explosions which you had a feeling involved your two favorite androids. Even if this city at first had felt eerie because of its lack of human life, you couldn't deny the feeling of serenity the quiet had to offer. It was much better compared to the noisy and bustling city you had been so very familiar with.

 

You hadn't even taken one step before your shoulders were roughly grabbed and you were forcefully spun around toward the cause of your sudden discourse in destinations. Your widened eyes had met with the sight of your two least favorite android-machine lookalikes and before you could even call out for Popola and Devola, your mouth was clamped shut by a gloved hand.

 

"Finally, we catch you alone."


	8. Chapter 8

It was dark. Darker than anything you had ever seen. It was abyssal, almost consuming and you were astonished to feel your fingers move in response to gaining consciousness. If it weren't for those signs of life, you would have thought yourself dead. Your mind racked for an answer as to why your surroundings had been so dark and you had even considered the possibility of losing your sight. Though after you had guided your hand towards your eyes, you had realized you were blindfolded. The material was soft and felt silky under your touch, though you didn't understand the need to obscure your vision. Especially if they hadn't even bothered to bound your hands. You thought that they had figured you weren't going to be able to escape from them no matter if your hands were restrained or not.

 

Silence enveloped you, the deafening sound of nothing had haunted you. Not a sound of chatter, or even the breeze of wind could be heard. You wondered if you were even alone. Once again your hands found themselves grasping at the blindfold obscuring your vision and you pondered why they even bothered with it if you had already known what they looked like. As if you had anyone to report them to anyway.

Your fingers strained to pull the cloth away from your eyes. They felt heavy and the small muscles within your hands had given the sensation of fatigue. You hadn't noticed the feeling before, and had figured that was because adrenaline had coursed through your veins after the event of being abducted.

"Oh, no, no." You gasped at the feeling of another pair of hands prying yours away from your face. "It's better if you keep that on."

You almost wanted to scream--or cry, anything to relieve the helpless feeling that was slowly clawing at your chest yet nothing could manage to find its way out from your mouth. You weren't alone like you had previously thought, and the metal clattering you could hear just in front of you had done nothing to shake away the fear of what the two androids had in plan for you. Adam's voice had given you no insight of what he and Eve had in store for you. His voice was smooth and monotone and you wondered if he even had a grasp of emotions to convey what he felt. What you were sure of was that it was nothing innocent.

"I suspect your beloved androids won't find us here, at least I would hope so." Another sound of metal clashing against one another sounded. "Hopefully we'll be done before they even make it here."

You could feel yourself becoming rigid as seconds turned into minutes and the effects of the adrenaline died down. You could make no response to his words, not even a whimper could tremble from your lips. Fear had now made its home in your mind. The worst scenarios had played on repeat and with only the view of pitch black, these scenarios had almost seemed real.

"You don't seem so ecstatic about our experiment as I am."

How could you be? You were trapped somewhere you couldn't see with an android who wanted to cut you open. You remembered his words back on the alien ship, they had been imprinted on the inside of your mind and you could hear them each and every time it had become silent.

'We will then dissect and analyze them in order to drag their secrets into the light! Surely you see the attraction in this.'

"-I even drove Eve off so that we'd have time alone and you can't even spare me a few words?"

He instilled fear in you. Nothing could overcome the immense feeling of dread nor the icy touch of death. To know you were going to die at the hands of someone else had been hard to swallow. You were fifteen, not even old enough to call yourself an adult and you were going to die with so much time ahead of you. The world had become a different place and you might have been the last to ever remember how it used to be and all of it--your memories, your feelings, your life was going to be ended here; in the most cruelest of ways.

"...are you going to k-kill me?"

It took all of your courage to even muster out those few words and although it was clear what his answer was. Just the sounds of metal clanking and the occasional feeling of something sharp running across your skin had already told you of your fate. Adam had been eager to find out what lied in a human, and now that he had one he wasn't going to hold back. You'd be the first and last of his 'experiment'.

"Well, we'll have to see about that, wouldn't we?"

You could feel him place something around your hands, binding them together and the onset of panic began to erupt throughout your being. You had a feeling you already knew what was coming, the sharp knives he held onto weren't for scaring you, they were to hurt you.

The first slice had stung. You could almost equate the feeling to having a paper cut. It left your arm tingling and burning as the blade delved deeper into your flesh. Liquid had dribbled down the length of your arm, you could even feel it beginning to pool next to your thigh. You struggled in his grasp, your teeth clenched as you hissed in pain.

"If you move around like this, I might mess up." He chuckled. "Don't want you to die too quickly."

You felt a shiver chill down your spine as the dark laugh had escaped his lips. The sound had brought you uneasiness and had reminded you that you weren't going to be saved in time. Deep down, you held hope that 2B and 9S were just a few seconds away from bursting in and saving you. Yet, no matter how long you waited, no one was coming. You were alone, doomed to suffer this death by yourself.

The tears that had streamed from your eyes had been immediately soaked up by the blindfold, though you could sometimes briefly feel the sensation of dampness rub against your burning cheeks. Thinking about smaller details had provided some kind of comfort against the pain of deepening cuts.

The numerous slices you had felt moments before had slowly faded in one numbing feeling. You felt yourself becoming colder, your skin no longer clinging to the warmth of your sweat or your cheeks. Your body felt heavier, to the point that even breathing had started to put a strain on you.

'...am I dying?'

You didn't know. The world around had already been pitch black, nothing would change if you drifted off now. You didn't know when, but eventually Adam's almost maniacal cutting had ceased all together. Your ears perked at the sound of muffled chatter, yet you could not make out one word from the garbled mess.

'Is he mocking me?'

Why did you have to be human? Why couldn't you have been one of the many androids created after mankind's image? Why couldn't you defend yourself from monsters like Adam and Eve?

'Why am I so useless?'

Light. It was blinding as it enveloped you in its embrace. The blindfold that had once obscured your vision had fell onto your lap, revealing the pure white scenery around you. Despite the lack of a blindfold, you still could not see what ever was taking place in front of you. Your vision had looked as if it had been over layered with wavy glass and not a thing could be seen, though what you heard told of a different story. The muffled chatter had become noises, violent ones. The clashing of metal had no longer been soft, but harsh. It rung in your ears, mixing in with the loud voices who yelled in anger at each other. You still clung to life, despite deciding to let go. What kept you here? Where nothing was left? You had no one. You were alone, yet you found yourself unable to drift into the eternal sleep you yearned for.

 

Your eyes were so heavy, it was a wonder how you were able to keep them open for so long. The lacerations that had once haunted you had felt like nothing after awhile and for that you were grateful. You wouldn't have wanted your last moments to be in pain. Thinking about Adam's work, you wondered whether he had made a mess out of you. Had he cut you open like he said? Or was there nothing but a mess of blood? Either way, you had felt sad for what ever 2B and 9S were going to eventually stumble upon. 

 

You were beginning to edge towards the darkness you had desperately tried to avoid. With each breath you took, you felt yourself wanting to fall deeper and deeper in the see of black that reached for you. You felt yourself move, not by your own will, but someone else's. Your body had become numb, yet you could feel the gentle grasp of their hands and fingers situating themselves under your back legs. It reminded you of the time 2B had picked you up off your feet and you wondered whether this stranger was here to whisk you off somewhere safer than here. It was a far off dream, one that you hoped would become true, but you knew no one would have been able to find you. You weren't an android, you didn't emit some kine of tracking signal, you were human. Humans have always gone missing never to be seen again.

 

A shape had appeared in your field of view, one that you recognized to be someone's face. You couldn't make out the fine details, but you knew someone had you in their arms. The black blindfold had given you hope that it was one of the two androids you had held dear.

 

"-Y/n?"

 

The voice wasn't clear, at least not in your ears. Though it was clear enough to tell that this stranger had been in distress. They said your name with urgency, as if their life depended on whether you answered or not. You couldn't manage a word, it hurt too much. Your throat burned with dehydration, and no matter how much you willed yourself to even groan, nothing had sounded. 

 

"...Is she...?" 

 

The voices were becoming clearer as their conversation continued. The stranger who held you in your arms looked down at you with what you would have expected was worry. It had almost seem as if they were afraid to take their eyes off of you. You weren't dead, yet you weren't sure how to convey that. Not a muscle in your body listened to your desires and had instead hung limply to your sides.

 

"She's not...know she's not...!"

 

What was the stranger saying? You could feel their chest heave with frustration. What was the other person saying to get the stranger so worked up? 

 

"2B..."

 

The name had sent a jolt of electricity through you, the darkness that had once beckoned for you had disappeared completely. The thoughts of death had diminished and as if a cloud had lifted over you the color in the world brightened. You were once again filled with hope. Hope that you'd live another day, hope that you'd see the two androids again.

 

Your arm which once hung limply at your side had twitched to life. You fingers curled in response to your need to signal them and when that had not drawn them away from their argument, you muster enough strength to lift your arm in order to graze the soft skin of 2B's cheek. Her attention had immediately turned to you as your arm fell to your chest, much to worn out from the small movement. Blood had been smeared on her cheek from your fingers and despite that, she wore a small grin on her face. 

 

"I'm...here." You whispered.


	9. Chapter 9

At the age of six you were told by your father that it was time for you to do things 'on your own'. He nor your mother were never around to tell you to 'do this' or 'stop that'. He was a 'busy man' as your mother described him and the same was said about your mother by your father. You remember how much trouble you caused as a child in order to get attention. You remember how many times you've made your nannies cry out in frustration just so they'd call your parents. It wasn't like you enjoyed getting scolded, but it would finally make your parents pay attention to you.

 

Were you ever truly loved by anyone?

 

School had been your only solace. It had given you things to take your mind off the utter loneliness you had felt back home. At school, you had friends that showered you with the attention you sought, despite it only being out of necessity. You weren't truly their friend, just someone their parents had urged them to cozy up to. It was obvious how different you were from them, they made you feel as if you were an alien; someone that could never understand them. You were the daughter of a government executive and many of your classmate's parents had believed you were their key to getting them and their family shelter from the then rumored pandemic.

 

You have always been alone.

 

Once you had entered high school, nothing had changed. You were still being used as a means for refuge and your situation with your parents hadn't gotten better. You had been 'okay' with everything. Each disappointment life would bring it had always been just 'fine'. You had never considered yourself unhappy. There were days when your parents had payed special attention to you, when your 'friends' had seemed a little more genuine than before. You had happy days, but you were never truly happy. You were just content.

 

You sometimes wondered if things would have changed if you had spoken up more. Would your parents have realized your struggle if you had said something? Maybe your 'friends' would have truly become your friends if you had expressed your frustrations with them using you. The girl you had once remembered being the closest to you had drifted so far back in your memories, that you couldn't even recall her face. Everything was slipping away from you, the memories of dinner alone, school events without your supporting parents. Everything was fading from your mind.

 

"It's for the best, sweetie. I promise."

 

You remembered those words. Their empty promises, that guaranteed a brighter future. Despite your disappointment with them, your anger, you still loved them. They were your parents, the ones you yearned for to look at you as much as they looked at their paperwork. You were their daughter, but you were treated like a guest in a home the three of you shared. You listened to your father's request, followed him to that underground lab and slept for over 9,000 years if it meant the both of them would finally acknowledge you.

 

Were you still alone?

 

Your heart clenched at this thought. Reawakening into a world that was nothing like the last had been...eventful. The amount of near-death experiences you've had in such a short time had to have record breaking. But that hadn't been what troubled you. For most of your life you had sought attention, love, something that could make you feel not so empty inside. Your parents had failed to provide that for you, the people you had met had failed too and now you were alone. The last of mankind.

 

Was that truly the case?

 

Being the last of your kind had been eye opening. You were careless in the thought of being the last of mankind, you took 2B's and 9S's protection for granted and in turn you were almost killed. Now that Adam had lied dead, you now realized just how important you truly were. You were the last connection these androids had to their creators. You may have not been around during their creation, but you know the old world. You lived in it. For them, the information you had was envied by others. Only you knew what the night sky looked like, only you knew how a city looked before its destruction.

 

Your body ached as you regained consciousness and the sound of quiet chattering could be heard off to the side. Your fingers had twitched to life, the small joints in them creaking as you curled them. Your vision had once again been obscured, but this time you weren't alarmed by it. From the droplets of water sliding down the side of your face, you had known it was a damp cloth sitting over your eyes. Your hand had slowly traveled up to your face, your fingers pinching at the corner of the cloth as you slid it down to your side where your hand once lied. It took you awhile to gain the strength to rise up into a seated position and once you had, you were gently touched on the shoulder by someone next to you. You sluggishly turned your head towards the source of the sudden contact, your gaze rising up to meet the sight of 9S standing next to you. His lips had not worn the familiar smile you were used to and had instead lined flat.

 

"You should rest more."

 

His voice had been soft, yet had attracted the attention of 2B and Popola who were on the far side of the room. The two of them had stopped mid conversation in order to place their attention on you. You shook your head, a sharp pain pinching the front of your skull in protest against your sudden movements. Your hand had moved its way to your forehead, cradling it as if that would stop the pain. You didn't want rest. Sleep made you think about things you didn't want to think about. It made you relive your abduction, it made you think about the pain you had went through. Sleep hadn't been a relief, it had been a nightmare.

 

"...water." You muttered.

 

Your throat had felt dry and constricted of air. Your lips had been dry and cracked from the lack of water. Despite your voice sounding so quiet, 9S had heard you loud and clear. He nodded his head before taking off out the door of the room. You could see 2B and Popola stare after him before returning their attention back to you. The two of them began walking towards you, a worried look painted on Popola's face.

 

"Are you feeling alright?" Popola asked, her hands clasped together at her abdomen.

 

You nodded, your throat not allowing you to speak or even make a sound. The two of them had seemed to understand that you weren't refusing to speak and had felt remorseful over your current state.

 

"You've been asleep for quite some time." 2B informed you, her gloved hand gently grazing the side of your face and combing through strands of hair as she lowered it back down to her side. "I'm glad we made it in time."

 

Your cheeks flushed in embarrassment. You weren't all too familiar with affection and so her actions had been slightly unexpected. You remembered how cold she was towards you before finding out you were human, and it had almost been funny how much things have changed.

 

"It took us a while to figure out how to mend a human, but thankfully Devola and I knew there was an old world medical book around here somewhere and a relief that Anemone knew how to read it."

 

Popola's voice had cut through the brief silence that had fell between you three. You nodded, glancing down at your arms that had been tightly bandaged with what looked like bed sheet. Blood had looked to have slightly leaked through, staining the white sheets a deep crimson. You had almost felt sorry for ruining such pristine sheets, hopefully you'd be able to make it up to Anemone later.

 

Just as you were about to will yourself to thank the both of them, footsteps had caught your attention. 9S stood in the doorway, clutching a sliver cylinder of what you assumed was water. He approached the three of you, glancing at them as if wondering what they were doing. He stopped in his tracks right next to 2B before handing you the cylinder. You took it from his grasp, straining your lips into a grateful smile before uncapping the cylinder's black cap and allowing yourself to indulge in the cool water inside.

 

The feeling of liquid running down your throat had been sorely missed. Even when you pulled your lips away for air, your throat had seemingly begged for more. It made you wonder how long had you truly been out for. As you drank, the three had watched silently, a bit off put by your desperation for water.

 

"Thank you." You said as you screwed the cap back onto the bottle and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand. "For saving me, for patching me up and for everything."

 

Popola smile, nodding her head at your gratitude before excusing herself to attend other things. Now that you were awake, you figured that she felt she had nothing more to do. 2B and 9S had stayed silent, their emotions hidden behind the blindfolds they wore. You had wondered what had left such an awkward air between you three, and you hoped that they weren't mad at you for not listening to instructions that day. Maybe if you had, then you wouldn't have been in that mess to begin with.

 

"You shouldn't thank us." 9S started, his head turning from your view as his fists clenched at his sides. "We were too late, if only we got there qu-"

 

His words were stopped with the rise of your hand that slowly neared him. He watched you cautiously as you leaned slightly towards him and poked his forehead with your index finger. He staggered back slightly, his hand rubbing at the spot you had touched.

 

"I'm alive, aren't I?" You gently smiled as your arm lowered back down to your side. "That's all that matters."

 

He nodded, biting his bottom lip as if he were trying to keep his thoughts from becoming words. It was obvious he had still felt partially responsible for your injuries, but you knew it wasn't their fault. Adam and Eve were going to get you eventually, it was just unlucky it had been right when 2B and 9S weren't there. You turned your attention to 2B who for now had been a silent observer. She was more stoic than 9S so you could never decipher how she felt unless you asked her plainly. If she had guilt eating away at her, you wanted nothing more than to extinguish it. This wasn't their fault and there would be no way they could convince you otherwise.

 

"2B," You called. "You don't feel the same, do you?"

 

"I did." She answered. "Seeing you lie there behind him so broken had made me...angry. I thought if I killed him I wouldn't feel so guilty, but when I picked you up I-"

 

2B stopped herself, her shoulders were slightly shaking and the lower half of her jaw had visibly clenched. She was angry. It had been another moment of silence between you three as she situated herself and once a deep breath had escaped her lips, she continued.

 

"I felt even angrier. We thought he killed you, Y/n."

 

You nodded your head. You had thought the same, but it had been the both of them who brought you back. "You don't have to continue, I understand."

 

2B nodded, tucking a strand of silver hair behind her ear before abruptly leaving the room. Even after Adam's death she had still felt rage. Your gaze had fallen down to your hands that lied on your lap, the top of your hand had been bandaged to hide the scars underneath them and the rope burns around your wrist had brought back painful memories.

 

You knew 2B's anger wasn't directed at you. You were important to her- important to them, that much was clear. You had felt guilty for never putting them in mind when you had thought about your loneliness. You weren't alone anymore, the two people that had cared for you the most were in arms reach, yet you had acted as if they didn't exist.

 

A gentle pat to your shoulder had snapped you out of your stupor. Your head turned toward where 9S had stood and you were greeted by a smile that had been so familiar to you.

 

"Nothing like that will ever happen again, Y/n." 9S comforted, a comfort that you needed more than ever. "Not with us around."


	10. Chapter 10

"Do you remember what the city looked like before?"

 

Devola's question had been sudden. The three of you had sat in silence for the longest as they watched you replace your bandages. There had been little to no chatter between you three and when there had been it had only been on the subject of your well-being. 

 

You paused momentarily, glancing at her with a curious expression before returning your attention back to tightening the bandages around your arm. "Um, it was...crowded."

 

It had been awhile since you had remembered what the city had looked before, so your memory of it was starting to slowly slip away as time passed on. You clenched your eyes shut as you tried remembering what your city had once looked. You tried remembering the endless sound of people talking, the footsteps of a crowd and the laughter of children as they walked alongside their parents. You tried recalling the sound of cars, birds chirping in trees that lined busy streets and smell of fast food restaurants wafting in the air.

 

"There used to be thousands of humans walking around and living in those tall building outside. There used to be stores and restaurants in the smaller buildings where people would come and eat together." Your eyes lit up as newer things had started to slowly come back to you. "Those hunks of metal you see out there, they used to move and transport people around instead of walking! Oh, but not everyone had one, so there would be some people who would ride buses to get to where they needed to go."

 

"Anemone told us about those! A lot of humans would ride them together, right?" Popola smiled, her hands clasping together in excitement as you nodded your head.

 

"Though, I think it's nicer to hear it from someone that actually seen it themselves." Devola said, leaning back further in her chair. Her lips had dropped the soft smile as she parted them to ask another question. "It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, but do you mind talking about your parents?"

 

You dropped your gaze down to your hands which were laced together at your lap. You weren't all too sore about the subject now. In fact, after all that has happened, the memory of your parent's death had almost faded into non-existence. With a soft nod of your head, your eyes rejoined back up with Devola's.

 

"What do you wanna know?"

 

"Well," Devola peered at her sister, the two of them sharing a look before Popola had decided to take over the question.

 

"We never had parents before, so we were wondering what's it like?"

 

The two of them had seemed genuinely serious with their question, which you couldn't and probably never would be able to understand. You were human and they were androids. They had known nothing of the old world that you had called home for the longest. They've never even met their creators, while you had spent 15 years with yours. The differences between you and them were so great, that you could possibly never understand their internal struggle.

 

As much as you wished you could be truthful with them, you knew it would only shatter their image of humanity they had kept so far. You didn't want to be the cause of that. How could you tell them that your parents ignored you? That they handed off parenting to hired nannies and boarding schools? You couldn't. You might have not had much experience with being loved by parental figures, but you had dreamt of it in your younger days, so that's what you decided to tell them. The hopes you held for your parents and not the truth.

 

"My parent's were...strict, but in a good way." You smiled as you gazed up at the ceiling trying to recall certain memories of your parents on one of their nicer days. "My mom used to expect a lot from me, they both wanted me to pursue the same job they did and to do that I needed to do well in school."

 

"Didn't really sound good." Devola commented. "Did you truly want to follow in their footsteps?"

 

You paused, your brows raising as if you were caught off guard by the question. You had never thought of your mother's wishes as her trying to force anything on you. You wanted to make her proud and it seemed as if going into politics was the only way. Besides, once you entered high school, it wasn't like you had any dreams to pursue another career.

 

"Y-Yeah, of course I did!" Your smile had faltered slightly. "Anyway, the point is my parents weren't all that strict! I had a pretty normal childhood."

 

"...Childhood." Popola muttered, her words just barely picked up by both you and Devola. "What did children do back then?"

 

You tilted her head slightly as your thoughts began tracing back far into the past. It had been a while since you had tried remembering your childhood and most of the memories you had kept had completely faded from your mind. You could recall major events like the death of your grandfather and the bitter taste of coffee when you had sneaked a sip from your mother's cup, but you were unable to recall how exactly you spent your days.

 

"I spent most of my days playing around the house. My parent's hated being bothered, and I was an only child so I used my imagination a lot." You admitted. "Our neighbors didn't have children, so I couldn't play with others until I started going to school."

 

"Were you ever lonely?"

 

You shook your head at Popola's question. Of course you truly did feel lonely, but she didn't need to know that. You weren't here to give them a sob story, only to tell them what they wanted to hear. "My parent's kept me company most of the time, so I was alright."

 

"Do you ever want to see them again?"

 

"My parents?"

 

Devola nodded. You had forgotten about the little trip back to the lab after you had met with the commander for the first time. After everything that had happened, it kind of just was thrown out of the way. A part of you did want to return in order to find the missing pieces of your memory. But without 2B and 9S you didn't think it was possible.

 

"I do." You glanced up at the pair. "I want to see them again, but-"

 

"Well, let's go." Devola said as she and Popola rose up from their seats. "We may not be 2B and 9S, but we can protect you just as well as they could."

 

"i don't doubt it," You reassured. "I just don't want you two to get hurt because of me."

 

"Don't worry about us." Popola said as she helped you out of the bed. "It had to have been hard to leave your parents the first time, so hopefully this trip back will give you some closure."

 

It had been hard. The day you had discovered their bodies after waking up had been hard and leaving them there in that lab had been even harder. When 2B and 9S had first told you about revisiting the lab, you had been scared to go back but now you weren't. You wanted to see them now that you felt your life had come so close to an end.

 

The cool air of the room had felt refreshing against your skin. Under the bed sheets, you had worn nothing other than your undergarments and the layers of bandages wrapped around your body. When you were rescued, your dress had been too bloodied and tattered to be worn again, so Anemone had done you a favor by providing you with clothes which sat just at the end of your bed. During your healing process, the lack of clothes at the time hadn't even bothered you. Embarrassment wasn't on your mind when the pain of what felt like a thousand cuts littered your body. You were just glad that you were tended mostly by Devola and Popola and if 9S was around he was mindful of your appearance.

 

You carefully slipped your legs into the black pants given to you, weary of accidentally pushing on the more deeper cuts on your thighs. The pants had fit you just right and you wondered if it were mere coincidence that they were just your size or if someone had made them just for you. The gray long sleeved shirt on the other hand was obviously not your size. It had fit baggily around your figure and had stretched over your mid thighs. You were sure that it could stretch over both of your legs if you had curled yourself into a ball. Lastly, the boots Anemone had provided you had been a comfortable fit, they weren't too big or too small and hadn't felt as if they'd blister your feet anytime soon.

 

You were thankful the twins were here to help you, as you were sure there would be no way you could have clothed yourself. It had only been at least a week since your rescue and your body had still felt as if it had just happened yesterday. The pain hadn't been as great as it was before, but you were sore and your skin had stung at the slightest of touches.

 

"Are you ready?"

 

You nodded at Devola's words, following her out of the door with Popola trailing shortly behind you. To see the resistance camp again after so long of being confined in one room, had been refreshing. The smiles of the androids as you walked by had been kind. They greeted you and talked of their relief at your recovery to which you had thanked them for keeping you in their thoughts. You hadn't ever really had the time to meet with each and every android, but it was surprising to see that they had been worried for you even if you didn't know them all too well.

 

"Anemone," Devola's voice had brought your attention away from the sight of working androids and onto the twins and Anemone who stood just in front of them. "We'll be taking Y/n back to the place she woke up and will be back in a few hours."

 

Anemone shook her head, her green eyes filled with concern. "I don't think that's a good idea. The last time you two took her somewhere, she was almost killed."

 

"This time we'll protect her, we won't be letting her out of our sight."

 

Popola's words had caused Anemone to sigh. She glanced over towards you as if she were silently asking your opinion on this.

 

"I trust them, Anemone. I know they're more than capable of keeping me well protected."

 

Your words had prompted a gentle nod of Anemone's head. The soft smile she had once worn had returned and once she had fully given her permission for the three of you to leave, the twins had not wasted time to express their gratitude before leaving your side to retrieve their weapons.

 

"Wouldn't 2B and 9S get upset with you if you go through with this?"

 

You shrugged at Anemone's question. "Maybe. But this is something I have to do. I've already caused enough problems for them, I can do this myself with the twins' help."

 

Anemone nodded, a bit more reassured by your words. Like the twins', she was worried for your safety, but she had also realized how important going back to your parents had to have been for you. Of course, you were still worried that the past events would repeat once more, but you had faith that the twins' would be able to save you. You didn't want to think about what would happen if they couldn't.

 

"Y/n!" Popola had called from behind you, prompting you to turn towards them. "You ready?"

 

You smiled, slowly walking over towards them as they patiently waited for you by the entrance to the camp. It would be a while before 2B and 9S would return from the abandoned factory, and you were sure that you would be back before they even noticed you were gone. As much as you hated keeping things from them, you also didn't want to be robbed of the opportunity to see your parents once more before the chance slips by you again. Though the sickening feeling you had felt within the recesses of your stomach had begged to differ. You had a feeling something was going to happen, and it frightened you to even think about the possibilities of what it could be.


	11. Chapter 11

You weren't sure if you'd ever be ready to face your parents again. The turmoil you had felt in your heart had been painful and you couldn't bear the thought of seeing them again after so long. Did you even remember their faces? You knew you were already starting to forget the past life you had once lived with them. Your each and every memory of your old life was fading and slowly being replaced by the new memories of the new world.

 

It was a bittersweet feeling. There was a part of you who wanted to forever cling on to what you had remembered, the people you had come to know, but now it was gone. Everything you had once known had disappeared and instead you had become familiar with what had replaced the old. Despite the lack of human life, the world had never been more beautiful. Green surrounded you and even though the once broken and crumbled buildings had scared you, you had never felt more comfortable with them than now. You had become accustomed to the world around you and in some ways, even preferred it to the old one. You remembered when you had first seen the remnants of the old world it had devastated you to know that everything you had come to know was gone, and even now you can't believe that you're the only surviving human in the world.

 

"Are you having second thoughts? We can always go back to camp."

 

You blinked, a bit surprised at the sound of Popola's voice. You hadn't noticed that the twins' slowed their pace in order to match yours and if it weren't for your intruding thoughts, you might have even realized how close you three were to the amusement park.

 

"N-No." You shook your head. "I'm going to have to do this eventually, might as well get it done with now."

 

Popola had nodded at your words, her eyes falling away from the profile of your face and had instead focused back on the crumbled road before her. "As long as you feel comfortable doing so."

 

Surprisingly during the course of the whole trip, the three of you hadn't once been bothered by machines. Both Devola and Popola had kept you well distanced from wandering bipeds, and avoided encounters with enemies that crossed your path. If you hadn't been soaked up in your own thoughts, you might have been able to see how they had guided you so well through the city.

 

The sun's hear had soaked through your clothes and the layers of bandages wrapped around your body. The heat had been refreshing in a way, but after stepping in the shade of the buildings that surrounded the entrance of the sewers, you no longer missed it. 

 

"This is leads to the park, right?" Devola asked as she and Popola walked closer towards the hole, with you following close behind.

 

You nodded at her question, moving around them so that you could head in first. "I'm surprised you two have never been there."

 

"Sometimes I could hear fireworks when we pass by, but they were so faint I couldn't clearly make them out."

 

You hummed at Popola's words as you descended down the ladder and deeper into the sewers. You were at least glad that the sewers no longer smelled of death itself and had instead only smelled dank. The sound of your boots making contact with the smooth concrete had echoed within the tunnels. You moved slightly away from the ladder, turning towards the main tunnel that had seemed to run on forever, but you knew it had an end. You remembered when you had passed by the entrance to the sewers for the first time with 9S and 2B, their informative words of how the underground tunnel was now the only way to access the amusement park. It was quite different than how you had remembered it, but the change wasn't all too unwelcome. You had a sort of knack for adventuring, and back then you weren't able to live up to it.

 

The smell of stagnant water hadn't been too strong much to your pleasure and you had tried your hardest to avoid dipping your foot into the water that flowed through the tunnel. Both of the twins didn't mind the water and had thankfully provided a helping hand in you mission to balance yourself on the thin concrete that ran on either side of the tunnel. Devola had lend her shoulder for you to grab on as you walked alongside them and you had made a mental note to thank her in someway once the three of you had gotten back to camp.

 

The twins had chattered away in your ear as the three of you traversed down the echo-y tunnel. Your mind had been quite preoccupied with other things, like what 2B and 9S would have in store for you when you return. The thought of the two of them angry with you had been a bit frightening, but most of all was something you wanted to avoid. Since you have been awake, they've acted as your caregivers. They provided protection, fed you, and even had kept you company. You've grown a lot more closer to them as time passed, but you still had felt some kind of disconnection. You cared for them immensely, there was no doubt about that, but you had felt a necessity to not show them everything. Even Devola and Popola who had befriended you through their kindness and regret of what they had thought they'd been responsible for in the past. You had cared for the twins, yet you couldn't trust them enough to tell the truth about your recollection of your parents. You wondered if you had always been this untrusting. It was difficult to say since your past memories were fleeting and even just trying to recall any friends you had made had been a pain. In all honesty, you hoped that maybe revisiting the lab would help you regain some kind of insight into yourself. Though that could have only been wishful thinking, after almost 9,000 years you knew there couldn't be anything more about you that you didn't already know.

 

"Would we have time to explore?" Devola asked, curiosity seeping into her tone.

 

"Um, probably not." Popola answered as you three stepped on the platform that led to the exiting ladder. "2B and 9S will already be upset that we took Y/n without them knowing..."

 

"You'll see a lot of the park on the way to the lab." You said as you started up the ladder. "Although there isn't much to see other than machines."

 

"Machines?"

 

You nodded at Popola's comment as you climbed up the last steps. "They're harmless as long as you don't attack them."

 

You slightly struggled with lifting yourself up from the ladder since your body had still felt quite sore. The activities you had done before hadn't bothered you as much as this did and you wondered if you were close to hitting your limit.

 

"Do you know where to go from here?" Devola asked as she and Popola joined your side. "I know it must have been overwhelming to wake up to a world like this."

 

"Don't worry, I know how to get back. This park is actually pretty easy to navigate."

 

Your reassurance had helped ease the twins' worry, and as the three of you continued towards you felt a bit excited to see their reaction to the amusement park. In a way, you felt as if the park had been quite the sight even if it couldn't live up to its former glory.

 

Popola and Devola had been a few steps ahead of you, admiring the fireworks and the large castle that loomed in the background. The sight of the dancing machines beyond the entrance had filled you with a sense of nostalgia. You felt anxious at what lied within that lab you had woken up in. You were scared of what you were going to find, of what had truly taken place all those years ago.


	12. Chapter 12

The lab had looked more or less the same. Glass had crunched under the soles of your feet as you stepped off the elevator and rusted ceramic tiling of both the floors and wall had degraded further. Small puddles of stagnant water had sprinkled the sides of the long hall the three of you stood in, filling the corridor with a damp odor. You scrunched your nose at the scent, wishing that the  fresher air you had breathed could return. Unlike the twins, who once again took the lead, you felt uncomfortable in this setting. The open world you had grown  used to was now reduced to nothing but a hall and some cramped rooms.

 

The nostalgia you had once felt had no longer lingered within your chest. Instead, a knot had formed in you stomach and your chest tightened out of nervousness. The feeling had been uncanny as there was nothing to be uneased about. You were in the safety of Popola and Devola, and from their past promise, they wouldn't let anything happen to you again. You trusted the twins to keep to that promise, besides no one else knows about this lab except you and now the twins.

 

"Which one should we go into first?" Popola asked as she motioned towards the nearest door and the one that had lied even further down the hall.

 

You knew where both doors led and one of them had been one you were dreading to revisit. Your answer was obvious and to her surprise, quicker than she anticipated.

 

"Let's go into this one first." You smiled as you took the lead.

 

The twins had spoken nothing of protest and followed you down the rest of the hall. They were quick to see your discomfort being here and even if they did not know all the details, they had at least known this place wasn't one of your favorites. Though neither of them could find any words of comfort and instead had only exchanged a worried look.

 

The silence that had accompanied the three of you had been heavy and one that allowed you to reflect on too much. Your facade of enthusiasm had quickly disappeared, leaving your footsteps to slow and the small smile to fall off. The closer you got to the room you had awoken in, the more you had felt a sense of heavy dread. A part of you had begged to turn around and return back to camp, but your curiosity of what happened before you were put to sleep had outweighed that. 

 

The door had immediately slid open just as you stood in front of it, allowing the three of you to pass through. The room has looked just the way you had left it. The large chamber you had once been contained in still leaked the cold substance which had layered the ground before it with thin ice. The papers that had scattered the floor had been damp and the words printed on them had been smeared. It was impossible to read them, but you could make out some of the words the papers near you held. Your name had been repeated numerous times throughout all of the sheets, but nothing else that could he read was important. 

 

Devola and Popola had separated from your side, the two of them curiously wandering around the room. Their faces had held the look of wonder and their hands couldn't help but run across the many 'old world' artifacts you recognized as computers. You stepped forward, your eyes never leaving the large chamber as you planted yourself in front of it.

 

The cold the chamber seeped hadn't in the least bothered you. It was almost as if you were numb to the feeling, the bitter pinch of cold had gone completely ignored by you. You didn't feel a sense of nostalgia or anything for that matter. The nervousness that had once burdened you had no longer been present, but you not even felt a sense of relief. You were unsure of how you felt being back within this room once again. You feelings and thoughts were muddled and could not be correctly identified. 

 

"Y/n!" You jumped at the sound of your own name. Popola, who had been flicking through a stack of papers which sat on a counter near the cryogenic chamber, had approached you with excitement. "Isn't this you?"

 

You glanced down at the photograph she held within her hands. Dust had collected on it's surface and the corners had slightly been crinkled from the moisture that had seeped in, but the picture itself was in somewhat a decent condition. The photograph had been looked to be captured just before you put into an eternal slumber. Your appearance had been relatively the same, your hair might have been a little shorter than its length now, but it was undeniably you. An unfamiliar warm smile had been pasted onto your face, your eyes had gleamed brightly with a happiness you hadn't felt in a while. Next to your head, your left hand had formed a peace sign. The photo had only captured your waist up, but you had recognized the white dress you awoke in. Your posed position had suggested that this picture had not been taken by any of the scientists. You remember specifically that you were not on friendly terms with any of them mostly because you had not spoken to any of them personally, but your memories of the past had been hazy and you couldn't be quite sure. 

 

"Yeah...that's me." You gently took the photo into your hands as Devola joined your other side. 

 

The two had conversed over the photo as you turned the picture around. Your eyes had immediately landed on the neat, cursive writing which had been slightly faded but you were still able to read it. 

 

_I love you and I'll miss you, Y/n!_

_Always and forever-- A._

 

Your mind had gone blank for a moment as you tried processing the small message left for you. Who's initial had the 'A' belong to?Your mother's name had started with an E, and your father's started with a D. 

 

"'Always and forever...A'?" Devola repeated. "Who is that?"

 

You briefly glanced at her before returning your gaze back down to the writing. "I don't remember."


End file.
